A little background from the author about how and why he decided to do his own computer modding.
According to the author, his system was updated 1.5 years ago, and he decided to change the processor to a more powerful one, as well as change his old Super Armor case to the new Corsair 900D, and this seemed to be enough, but the author decided not to stop there , since he wanted something unusual and special, out of all the variety of options, he liked the idea of a wall-mounted computer. This is how this difficult project began.
Let's move on to the creation process.
The author started by taking photographs of all the components in their actual size, using Photoshop for this, so he could move all the parts around the workspace and see how it might look. There are several such examples in the photo. By distributing all the components, the author wanted to achieve maximum filling of the free space. In the final version, the cooling tubes will stretch along the entire right edge, and two additional thermometers will be placed.
Next, an acrylic sheet of plastic was taken, onto which the drawing of the motherboard was transferred. Since the video card will be located at a sufficient distance from the motherboard, I had to buy extension cables for the PCIe slot; it is recommended to buy more expensive cables, as they have better protection and will not create interference.
This is what some of the ordered components look like.
We cut all the panels at an angle of 45 degrees, this is necessary so that the glow at the edges is more effective.
Now it's time to tear up your old computer.
On the old computer, the hard drives were placed in special Vantec HDCS boxes; they make 3 HDD boxes out of 2 5.25" ones.
To properly reflect light, a triangular cut is made in the center of the plates; without it, the edges glow slightly.
All panels must be sanded with 120 grit wet sandpaper.
When the markings are ready, we cut out special slots with an electric jigsaw.
Then the frame is glued.
The inside of the cutouts was painted black, specifically to match the color of the carbon sticker.
Now we move on to soldering the LED strips, temporarily fix them with electrical tape, and see what happens.
It's time to glue the vinyl film, be patient, as the process is very stressful.
Using aluminum tape, cover the LED backlight for hard drives.
After the coolant and the required number of wires have been received, we begin the connection. To prevent the wires from sagging, a tie was used.
Check the water cooling for leaks.
We are starting the system for the first time.
The first launch was unsuccessful, the system constantly hung, two video cards refused to work, the fault was with PCIe extenders with ribbon cables, which turned out to be very susceptible to electromagnetic interference. There was an attempt to make additional protection using foil, but this did not give much result.
This problem was solved only by purchasing very expensive cables that had the necessary protection.
A few final words.
The wall computer turned out to be quite quiet, the whole system works smoothly, the desired result has been achieved!
The author provides a photo report of the finished modding.
At first I didn’t want to write an article, I thought it was too simple, then I saw it and changed my mind.
Perhaps those who have a Raspberry Pi, some kind of Mini-ITX or other mini computer have thought about a case for it. Some people order online, others use a shoebox, but I suggest making it yourself.
On the knee from what we have.
By the way, I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos, I only had my phone at hand. And only when the case was completely assembled did it become possible to take a photo with a normal digital camera.
Tools and material
For my Mini-ITX, I decided to assemble a case from an old computer case, bought second-hand for 100 rubles. We will also need pliers, a hacksaw, various rasps, chisels, a hammer, a drill, electrical tape, super glue, screws, some rubber stuff, a screwdriver, a cutter, a can of paint, rags, alcohol, straight (but bending in the right places ) hands, pencil, ruler and cool music to feel like Tony Stark.
Possible options
Instead of a computer case, you can use a VCR case (it is usually thinner, which means it’s easier to process), a receiver case, a set-top box, some kind of toy, or just sheets of iron/plastic. Although I wouldn’t recommend plastic - it’s too… warming. Although you can always make holes for ventilation.Manufacturing
First, let's decide on the form factor. I decided to make it based on the principle of a box with a lid. It's simple, fast and doesn't require any special skills.Since the computer case is shaped like the letter “P,” it is necessary to cut it into separate sheets to make it easier to work with them in the future. Actually, you don’t have to saw it, but hollow it out, break it off, bend it until it breaks, and finally grind it down to holes using a grinding wheel with a motor (well, I don’t know what this thing is called, I actually have a grinding wheel with a 220V motor ).
Let's start making a box. We just attach our device and trace it with a pencil. It's that simple. Accuracy be damned, the tools still don’t allow you to be more precise. Of course, it’s not good to do this, so you can apply the markings in any way convenient for you. By the way, here's my hardware: 
The markings must be applied so that after placing the piece of iron inside, there is at least 5mm of space left up to the lid and on the sides. You don’t have to worry about the holes for the periphery for now - if you make them before bending, then when bending the wall may not bend evenly. Therefore, it is better to make holes when the box is almost ready.
After marking, you can begin sawing. Back in school I was taught that “the markings are not cut off, they always remain on the part.” The excess can then be trimmed with a file (although I did file it down). 
almost sawn part
So we cut out this square. Now it's time to saw off his ears. It’s easier to show than to tell: 
Further - more interesting. If we now begin to bend the edges, they will bend like a wave (not at a right angle, but in an arc). To solve this problem, I first tapped the line with a chisel at the bend. You could probably use something like a large vice, but I didn’t have that (there were small vices - but they were small... something like that). 
We bend the part and get a box. To prevent the “ears” from coming apart, I glued them with super glue. Believe me, it holds. Holds up well. When I screwed up and glued it crookedly, I tore it off only with a hammer, chisel and pliers. In the future, super glue was my faithful assistant. 
Now we need holes for the periphery. Using a ruler and pencil, mark the location for the holes on the front wall. Here you need to tell how the board will be attached to the bottom of the box. To prevent it from lying flat, I cut out the legs for the motherboard from the same old computer case... 
... and glued them to the bottom of the box with super glue! Then I unscrewed the scarf, took measurements for the periphery and began cutting out the holes. First, we drill holes in the corners, then use a hacksaw blade to make cuts (cuts?) between the holes. Here the rags with which I wrapped the canvas came in handy. 
In general, you can finish with the bottom of the box. We grind down all the irregularities with a not rough (gentle? :)) file. By the way, remember what I said about rubber stuff? I don’t know what it is, it looks like some kind of plugs. I found them in a bag with screws from my computer case. By the way, there I found a beautiful mesh grid, which I later soldered to the cover above the board’s radiators. So these elastic bands can be used as legs. First, cut out circles from electrical tape to fit the rubber bands and glue them to the bottom of the box. After painting, you can tear them off and glue rubber bands in their place (yes, with the same super glue). 
Next we proceed to making the lid. It is made in exactly the same way as the bottom of the box. I only bent the walls with pliers, it didn’t turn out very neatly, but I didn’t have to worry about using a chisel. The hole for the grille is cut in the same way as for the periphery. When everything is ready, all the parts need to be wiped with alcohol or, more simply put, degreased. Regarding the drawing on the lid. I just found a picture of a dragon on Google, printed it out and cut it out. Next, I pasted several strips of electrical tape onto the lid: 
Then he attached the dragon and carefully traced all its contours with a cutter. After that, I removed the remaining paper and tape, and it turned out something like this: 
Yes, by the way, the grille! I just soldered it (just don’t laugh): 
When everything is ready, it's time to start painting. I had a can of black spray paint to apply to plastic. A couple of sprays and wait for the parts to dry. 
After that, glue the legs, screw the board and close the lid. Ready! A few more final photos: 
In the age of computer technology, it is impossible to imagine life without a computer or any other multimedia gadget. Those who understand computer hardware assemble their own computers, giving them certain characteristics that they need to complete their tasks. Some modify their computers, so to speak, in their original shirts, and some go further and manufacture system units in various variations. So the author decided to independently upgrade his system unit, giving it an exclusive, attractive and creative look.
For the base of the system unit, the author used a wooden rounded square. This can be found in subwoofers. They are naturally longer, but if you have a hacksaw or an attachment for an angle grinder, reducing it to the size you need will not be difficult.
The next step is to make a groove around the entire perimeter of the workpiece into which the wall of the system unit will fit. For this you will need a chisel and a hammer. If the farm has a milling cutter, then things will go even faster, and the result will be much better.
Next, in the upper part of the workpiece, we begin to cut out an opening for two fans using an electric jigsaw. If you have more quantity and space, you can install more. It won't hurt. The location of the future cut is marked and either electrical tape or masking tape is placed along the edge of the cut. This is to prevent chips and burrs on the surface. Drill a hole for the jigsaw blade and cut it out. We insert the fans and see how they are located. If everything suits you, then good. If not, we bring it to mind - polish it and so on. For further work, it is necessary to remove them and put them aside for a while, because They will interfere with you when carrying out other work.
Next, we determine where and in what order the remaining connectors will be located - USB, space for the hard drive, and so on. Everything is cut out in the same way as described above.
One of the walls of the system unit is installed.
Next, all components are installed. They fasten everything with small wood screws.
The metal wall is attached to the base and fixed. From the inside they are also attached to the corners.
Now a hole is drilled in the wall for the power button.
We assemble and fasten the strips on which all the connectors are located.
Next we make the legs. They are cut from the same material that you use to build the body. Glue them to the bottom and wait for them to dry. For a more durable connection, you can drill through holes in the legs and not through holes in the body. And put it all on self-tapping screws.
connect the power button and install the wall in place.
The author made the second wall from dark transparent plastic. I placed an LED strip around the perimeter. When you turn on the computer, it lights up and all the insides are visible. Quite beautiful and unusual. When turned off, the system unit has a strict appearance.
And this is what happened after all the work was completed. In my opinion it is very interesting and unusual. I wish you good luck in modifying your computers.
...actually it all started many years ago, around 78, when I was four years old... When visiting relatives, they took out a large iron box with tools, light bulbs, switches and similar “trash”, after which throughout the entire “visit” I was neither seen nor heard. By the way, the owner of that box, my uncle, is very straight arms...
Currently, I work as a carpentry foreman. I have been craving for everything that contains microcircuits for a long period of time, but from the moment I purchased my first computer, the thoughts of “doing something with it” systematically appeared in my head. Then I found out what it was modding... And from that moment there is not a day without thinking about it... By the way, this is my first job...
That's probably enough introduction, let's get straight to the point. Every mod I make starts with a lot of thinking about what I want to do. As a rule, I don’t make drawings (but in vain :)), many thoughts come while doing the work. Unfortunately, at the time the mod started, I didn’t think that I would show my work somewhere (on the Internet), so there aren’t very many photos... Well, let’s begin...
Of course, it all started with a search for the system unit case; a damaged case of unknown origin was purchased, which served as the basis of the system unit. The idea was to make a wooden case and, moreover, it would not be embarrassing to show to friends, but since this is my first work, I decided to focus on the classic layout. The hardware was bought all new, here is a list of what was used
CPU Core 2 Duo E8400, 3000 MHz (9 x 333)
Motherboard Asus Maximus Formula
Memory OCZ XTC SLI OCZ2N800SR2G * 2 pcs
Video ATI Radeon HD 3870 (RV670)
Sound adapter Analog Devices AD1988B @ Intel 82801IB ICH9
Sound adapter C-Media CMI8738/C3DX Audio Device
Disk drive ST3500320AS ATA Device (500 GB, 7200 RPM, SATA-II) * 2 pcs
Optical drive TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S202H ATA Device
power unit CHIEFTEC CFT-500-A12S
CPU cooler Noctua NH1-U12P
Fans Thermal Take Cyclo Blue Pattern A2450 * 2pcs
I don't count the numerous LEDs, neon lights, wires, etc. The tools used were those that are available in any carpentry workshop... Unfortunately, I don’t have a Dremel... For now...
Actually, I started by re-gluing the front panel, base and cover of the system unit. The most important thing in carpentry is not to forget the golden rule. measure seven times, then measure again and only then cut, so we’ll cut off all the excess later.
Here is a photo of the future front panel:
I'll make a little clarification. For the top cover and front panel, I re-glued oak panels and drove them to a thickness of about 17-22mm, then glued the slats along the edges. I made markings on the front panel, placing them against the iron frame of the system unit, after which a hole was made for the 120th fan using a ballet dancer and a hand jigsaw. Next we make the side walls from plywood.
The following photos show how the side wall will open. Plus - when removing the wall, good access to all internal components of the system unit opens, minus - In order to open it completely, you need to move the case away from the wall... Fortunately, you don’t have to open it often...
When the blanks are ready, the fitting of all the parts of the future body to each other begins. And also finishing all sorts of little things...
Subsequently, you should receive a practically assembled body, ready for further processing (grinding, painting)
After some time has passed (there was a lot of work) I begin adjusting the body frame. The thing is that the fans didn't fit in, so I had to cut it a little. Well, since I don’t have a Dremel, we use an angle grinder (don’t forget about Safety precautions)
And cutting off everything that bothered us
Let's start preparing the frame for painting. Due to limited funds, it was decided to limit ourselves to sanding and painting itself...
While the first layer of paint on the side wall is drying, cut out the window (jigsaw, hands) and place the pre-cut glass for gluing
Of course, the painting process takes a lot of time, the intermediate layers need to be sanded (500-600 sandpaper), painted again, etc. and so on. As a result, we get a frame ready for assembly.
But not all parts of the body are ready for assembly, so we are painting the “wooden component”
For unknown reasons, the painting process itself was not photographed, but I can say that everything was painted with DUFA paint. It was opened 4 times with sanding between layers (grit sandpaper 600-800), then it was opened with varnish 2 times... let's start assembling... Photo For some reason they also weren’t done, I can only note that the assembly took place over 2 months (the motherboard was missing, I was waiting for it to be delivered) While I was in “standby mode” I started working on the power supply.
I inserted blue LEDs, cut out a side window, connected a 7-volt fan... In general, standard procedures aimed at “improving the appearance and performance properties” of this device. The fans in the case are also connected to 7 volts (front) and 5 volts (rear). The USB compartment cover is illuminated, and the computer's power button is also located here.
This made it possible not to place the power button directly on the front panel. The DVD-ROM tray is also illuminated and instead of the opening button there is a reed switch (located right behind the stickers that were later removed :))
And finally the final photos
I’m currently hatching plans in my head to build a case based on the Core i7. And, of course, I hope this is not my last article, I’ve also made a test power supply and a mouse (more like testing the veneer technology).
Did: Mikhail Kopylov
Good afternoon, Khabrovsk residents. Thank you very much for the invite! And although it’s not a good idea to start by translating other people’s posts, perhaps someone else will find this homemade project mega-cool.
This is a translation of a post from the Overclock.net forum. User Show4Pro decided to take out all the insides of his super computer and hang everything on the wall. Great idea perfectly executed. For those who are interested in how it was assembled and how it works - welcome to the cat.
The last time I updated my home machine was 1.5 years ago. Well, I thought about upgrading the car to i7 (before that it was Bloomfield), although in fact I didn’t need a more powerful processor. I wanted to buy a new case - Corsair 900D, to replace the 8 year old Super Armor. But I wanted something special, unique. In Battlestations on Reddit, I came across a very simple but elegant solution - a wall computer. And that's where the whole project began.
Accessories:
Processor: Intel Core i7 950
Motherboard: Asus Rampage III Extreme
Video cards: 2 x AMD HD7970
RAM: 6 x 2GB Corsair Dominator
SSD drives: 4 x 120GB Corsair Force GT SSD
HDD drives: 2 x 1TB WD Caviar Black
2TB WD Caviar Green
1.5TB WD Caviar Green
Power supply: Corsair AX1200i
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster Zx
Cooling:
Cooling for CPU:
CPU Water Cooling Radiator EK Supreme HF Full Copper
Pump Swiftech MCP655 /w Speed Control
The cooler itself FrozenQ Liquid Fusion V Series 400 ml Reservoir - Blood Red
XSPC RX360 Performance Triple 120mm Radiator
GPU cooling
Heatsink for video card EK FC7970 - Acetal+EN
The pump and cooler are the same as for the processor.
Swiftech MCP655/w Speed Control
FrozenQ Liquid Fusion V Series 400 ml Reservoir - Blood Red
Water cooling radiator Watercool MO-RA3 9x120 LT Radiator
Other:
Cooling system pipes
Koolance QD4 Quick Discounnect No-Spill Coupling
Bitspower G1/4 Silver Triple Rotary 90deg Compression Fittings
Monsoon Free Center Compression Fittings
Phobya Angled Clip 90° Tubing Guide
Phobya Terminal Strip Tubing Clip/Holder
The cooling tubes themselves (red) PrimoChill Advanced LRT Tubing Bloodshed Red
Phosphorizing refrigerant, blue color EK UV Blue Non-Conductive Fluid
Cables:
Bitfenix Alchemy Premium Sleeved Extensions
Corsair Individually Sleeved Modular Cables
Creation.
To start, I took photos of all the components in their actual sizes and put it all together in Photoshop. This way I was able to move them around the work surface and decide what it would look like. Well, this is also necessary for routing the cooling pipes. Here are a couple of layouts:
I abandoned this because of the empty space in the lower right corner. And the motherboard ended up on the left, although it should be in the very center and attract attention to the entire panel. 
There is also a lot of space on the right, although the power supply and motherboard are closer to the center. In the final version, the cooling tubes stretch along the entire right edge, plus two thermometers appeared there.
I transfer the drawing of the motherboard onto an acrylic sheet.
Since the video adapters will be far from the motherboard, I ordered PCIe slot extenders for each card on eBay. This is me testing how they work. However, later I had huge problems with the cross-function of the cards due to cheap unshielded wires. They ended up on top of each other and created serious interference. The system was stuck loading the BIOS. It was possible to launch it with only one card. In the end, I had to shell out for very expensive cables with good protection. But more on that later.
The goods have arrived!
Most of the water cooling is from Performance-PC. They even gave me a T-shirt and two mouse pads!
Acrylic backing for motherboard.
All acrylic panels are cut at 45° to achieve a glowing edge effect.
The holes are drilled and the fasteners are installed.
TA-dah!!! It turns out that the mother of Rampage III Extreme is eATX format. And this is for the ATX form factor.
I made the correct eATX substrate later.
Time to gut my old dusty case.
In the old computer, the disks are inserted into Vantec HDCS boxes, which make 3 HDD boxes out of 2 5.25" ones.
Video cards.
Supports for all components.
Custom acrylic pump mounts.
Close-up of rough trim done with a table saw. They will need to be sanded later.
There is a triangular cut in the center of each plate. It will reflect light that is projected perpendicularly inside the plate at the edges. Without a cut, the edges barely glow.
Test with the light on on the sound panel.
All panels are sanded with 120 grit wet sandpaper.
Close-up of sanding.
All back panels are pre-drilled.
Under the table is acrylic snow.
Preparing to paint red.
Surprisingly, Corsair included thermal pads on the blades, although they don't get hot at all.
Marking all components on the main board to mark various slots and holes. Board - 1/4" 48 x 30 fiberboard.
All cracks and holes are marked in their places.
I'm getting ready to cut out the slots with a jigsaw.
I glue the frame.
I paint the inner edges black - to match the color of the carbon film.
Soldering LED strips.
Workplace.
LED strips. Temporary fastening.
I glue a giant vinyl film. This was the cruelest part. I almost had a heart attack. How to stick a film on a phone screen, only x1000 more.
No bubbles!
I use aluminum tape to hide the LEDs on the front side of the hard drive panel, between them.
My assistant is Tommy.
All substrates are installed in their places on the common board using #10 screws. I screwed them into pre-prepared holes.
Checking the light.
Coolant and cables have arrived. I used Bitfenix for the components and Corsair for the power supply.
On the left is Bitfenix, on the right is Corsair. Bitfenix doesn't have black heat shrink on the ends, so the Corsair looks cooler.
Red zip ties to tie up hanging wires.
Backside. All cables are connected.
We test for leaks while the entire system is lying on the floor - this makes it easier to troubleshoot problems.
First start.
Not loaded. I connected via iROG USB to the laptop to view the download log. It turned out that the system was stuck on the VGA BIOS. I disabled one of the video cards - everything worked. I tried to connect another one - it also works. Both cards are not. Did some research and found that unshielded PCIe extenders with ribbon cables are very susceptible to EMI. I tried to shield them by wrapping them in several layers of aluminum foil. 
After 4 layers of foil I was able to get both cards running. But the machine immediately froze as soon as I launched any game or any 3D editor. Moreover, my Soundblaster is also cascaded with a cable to the 3 x1 PCIe slot, and this also greatly interfered with the operation of the video and hung up the system.
As a result, with pain in my heart, I had to order expensive protected extenders for PCIe slots from 3M (approx. $100 each)
Shielded 3M extension cords in place. They turned out to be longer than the previous ones and now both video cards have reached PCIe x16.
Changed the previous sound to SoundBlaster Zx. This one looks amazing!
And finally
At the moment everything is working smoothly. The installation has only 2 fans. It barely moves on the PSU, and I installed another one on the chipset - it’s very quiet. The pump runs at the lowest power, so the computer came out quite quiet. The only annoying thing is that it turns out that some components can be heard operating outside the case. In my case, this is the buzzing of the video and 1TV hard drive.EK UV refrigerant is very sensitive to ultraviolet radiation. I know you shouldn't mix coolants to preserve their properties, but damn if I used it undiluted, I wouldn't be able to see the coils in the reservoir. For both circuits I used about 1/8 of the jar, the rest was distilled water.
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