rehousing a pc - advice

JMP220478

I have access to my sons former gaming machine - but its in huge case which I dont want ... anyone know of any north west based specialists they'd recommend to rehouse into  something more studio friendly - or any forum guys with skills who want the paid work ?
Liverpool but mobile ...

digitalscream

It's pretty trivial to do. Why not buy a case and DIY?

JMP220478

digitalscream said:

It's pretty trivial to do. Why not buy a case and DIY?

its not a bad shout - just dont want to turn it into another project that I never quite get round to finishing or lack certain tools / knowledge to make it a reliable build ... 

I'll get some gut shots of current setup  and perhaps someone can advise on case options n maybe optimising current spec - there definitely a v good graphics card in there for sure ..

Strangefan

I did mine 2 weeks ago, as ds said its very easy, I got a cooler master case from amazon its brilliant.

digitalscream

JMP220478 said:

digitalscream said:

It's pretty trivial to do. Why not buy a case and DIY?

its not a bad shout - just dont want to turn it into another project that I never quite get round to finishing or lack certain tools / knowledge to make it a reliable build ... 

I'll get some gut shots of current setup  and perhaps someone can advise on case options n maybe optimising current spec - there definitely a v good graphics card in there for sure ..

Well, my advice goes like this...

1 - Don't skimp on the case. Usually, the case is likely to outlast the components, and it's worth getting one that doesn't offend your eyes. Also, cheap cases usually have sharp edges and aren't very module, so working on them can literally be a right pain.

2 - Have a look at everything that's out there, and measure the space you're putting it into to make sure there's enough ventilation around whatever you choose. I personally really like Lian Li cases, although they're not cheap these days. If I was going to build a PC today, this is the one I'd choose:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ocuk-tech-labs-pre-noise-dampened-case-lian-li-pc-a55b-case-ca-542-ll.html

3 - When you put it together, bear in mind that good cases are designed with specific airflow routes through the case; tie your cables out of the way, and get all your fans pointing in the right direction.

4 - Be prepared to ditch the expensive graphics card for a lower-powered, quieter one if you need silence in the studio.

Heartfeltdawn

I rehoused my PC last year. It was part-gaming, part-audio and built into a Fractal Define R4. 

I switched the motherboard for a smaller one and dumped out the graphics card as I didn't need it. I now have everything in a Fractal Core 500 case (4770 processor, 2x SSDs, graphics via the motherboard, nice and cool and as close to silent as you can get). 

Depending on what's in the gaming machine, it might well be an idea to sell off some parts if not needed. Managed to build a PC for one of the kids by buying a well loaded secondhand gaming machine, hawking off some of the bits and replacing them with lesser spec pieces or not at all, and reconfiguring it. In the end the machine plus monitor cost under £100. 

Snags

If it's a straight lift of contents to a new chassis, the only things you need to pay attention to are what form factor the motherboard is (probably ATX in a gaming machine, but it might be mATX or even eATX), what expansion cards you have in there (probably a reasonably hefty video card which will take up space) and how many drive bays you need (probably nothing special).  Oh, and whether the CPU is watercooled with an external radiator (probably not, and it's obvious if it is).


The only tools you'll need should be screwdrivers.

Head over to Antec or Coolermaster and look for "midi-tower ATX" cases (assuming it's all standard when you check it). Unless you want it to look like something out of a low-budget sc-fi film

If you know what you're doing and want to route cables neatly, use cable ties etc. then allow 30-60 minutes for the whole swap.  If you don't know what you're doing and are careful, double it. If you're a messy git bit clueless, 60 minutes

JMP220478

Got some more info
core x9 thermaltake case
2 samsung ssd 850 250 GB
asus z170-p motherboard
intel core i7-6700K
 2 1TB SATA HDD 64mb cache
GEFORCE GTX 970
GIGABYTE B700H fan 

OS win 10 student freebie 
RAM - not sure - min 16GB  ( havent fired it up ) 

robinbowes

JMP220478 said:

I have access to my sons former gaming machine - but its in huge case which I dont want ... anyone know of any north west based specialists they'd recommend to rehouse into  something more studio friendly - or any forum guys with skills who want the paid work ?
Liverpool but mobile ...

Personally, I'd try using it as-is for now. If it works OK for you then you can consider re-housing it at a later date.

R.

prowla

I've got one in a Naim Hi-Fi case.

If it's for the studio, you could try putting it in a server 19" rack unit.

Heartfeltdawn

JMP220478 said:

Got some more info
core x9 thermaltake case
2 samsung ssd 850 250 GB
asus z170-p motherboard
intel core i7-6700K
 2 1TB SATA HDD 64mb cache
GEFORCE GTX 970
GIGABYTE B700H fan 

OS win 10 student freebie 
RAM - not sure - min 16GB  ( havent fired it up ) 

What I'd do with this:

-Buy a new USB stick and put the Windows 10 installer on there. 

-Sell the graphics card and the motherboard. If it's a 4GB graphics card then you're talking £100 in the bank £25 to £50 for the motherboard. 

-Flog the case. £50 on Gumtree I reckon. 

-Flog the HDD. Perhaps £50 for the pair depending on brand. 

So you're £250 up there. 

-Find a small case. As said earlier, I went with a Fractal Core 500 for my rebuild. £54 from Scan right now. 

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/fractal-design-core-500-mini-itx-cube-case-with-atx-psu-support-black-1x-silent-series-r3-140mm-fan-

-Find a suitable mini ITX motherboard. I think mine was £70 albeit it wasn't a Z170 or similar. 

-Remount the processor and RAM. Stick on a nice quiet fan (Noctua NH-U12S is the one I have on mine: £54 on Amazon). 

-Install the power supply and motherboard into the case. Looking at the Gigabyte B700H PSU, it should fit in the Core 500 case. 

-Install both SSDs. Make one a system and apps device, use the other for data. Easy to add external drives if needed. 

-Install Windows 10 from the USB stick. 


Small cases are a bit more fiddly to install all the gubbins into but it really is worth it. My Core 500 system still makes me laugh at how small it is compared to the Fractal Define R4 case it used to be in. 

JMP220478

robinbowes said:

JMP220478 said:

I have access to my sons former gaming machine - but its in huge case which I dont want ... anyone know of any north west based specialists they'd recommend to rehouse into  something more studio friendly - or any forum guys with skills who want the paid work ?
Liverpool but mobile ...

Personally, I'd try using it as-is for now. If it works OK for you then you can consider re-housing it at a later date.

R.

Ultimately - after much f'ing about and reseting bios n losing hdmi video output initially - etc etc - I did this and upgraded ram to 32gb at 3200mhz  - it flies .. 

I did remove graphics card but considering reinstalling just to see what Im missing if anything 

Im now just working through old projects from lesser machines n deciding if theres any life in material in a different context - ie drop tune tool style riffs into ambient chill vibe with flute ( latest collaboration) .. 

thanks for advice - the setup is reasonably quiet and to date no issues with noise - but may go ahead with rehousing to creat space - the case is not small ... 

for those considering something similar with no modern pc experience - take loads of photos and write down any software changes  / bios edits / regedits etc  - helps fixing things after you f them up ...