PC Smaller - Cutting ATX Full Tower to Small Form Factor Case
by kefflon in Circuits > Computers
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PC Smaller - Cutting ATX Full Tower to Small Form Factor Case
Don´t be afraid to cut corners. But watch out for cables. Some PC:s are big, and can be made smaller. Here is how you get a powerful PC with a small form factor for under $100.
What Is a PC Case?
I bought an old gaming PC for $50. When it came, it was way bigger than I thought. I opened it and saw there was a lot of space. I started to look for smaller PC cases, but there was nothing second hand, and the new ones were expensive.
So I thought, what is a PC case? I felt like a philosopher.
Start the Cutting
The whole section for the hard drives seemed not necessary, as I only wanted one small hard drive. I didn´t know where to start, but I cut some corners of the case, outside the motherboard.
Keeping the Front
The front part of the case is kind of wide, and I only wanted the start buttons and the usb:s on top. But they were somehow integrated in the plastic, so it looked easier to use the front as a whole. It also has a fan, though I don´t think I need it. I tried not to damage any cables as I was cutting. I used a grinder and sheet metal scissors to cut, and drilled out the rivets in the corners.
Cut the Bottom
The lower part of the case was also mostly empty, except for the power unit. I saw it could fit on top of the RAM memories if I turned it 90 degrees. I attached it to the top of the case using the old screws and holes.
The Top
I cut a hole for the power unit switch and plug. I used some screws to close the front to the rest of the case. I pre drilled holes that were a bit smaller than the screws.
Attach the Bottom
I cut off the bottom part and saved it. I had to move two of the legs from the front and backwards. I made small holes and screwed them in. I had to drill out some rivets to loosen the case.
The Leftovers
I removed the 2 GB graphics card, as it was long. I had another 6 GB one at home that was smaller, only 20 centimetres. Here are all the leftovers, the DVD player, hard drives and casings.
Good to Go
The grapcics card, Geforce GTX 1060 6GB, was $50. I also bought a second hand SSD disk of 512 GB for $25. I took four bits of double sided tape on top of each other and taped it to one side of the power unit, where there was space. Now I managed to install Windows 10, and my favourite game, Old school Runescape. I am also planning to install software for layout, photo and video editing, illustrations and 2D animation. I think I can get $25 for the 3 leftover hard drives and the old graphics card. This way you can get a small powerful PC for $100.