Ghetto Mods

[FireFox]

Will leave it drying overnight



It is not perfect but considering i dont have the right tools at home i did my best, i did a few minors mistakes which i covered with the stickers otherwise i would have to sand it down and order the color again but too lazy for that.

 

[wolf]

My old Antec Sonata had a similar duct.

I am a ducting addict atm! it's so effective at adapting heatsinks to different fans or directing fresh/hot air.

I wish more cases had airflow ducts. Even if they are problematic in terms of compatibility, they help so damn much with cooling. And you can always leave it out if it doesn't work with your cooler.

Amen brother.

What's with the fan blowing on the video card? Is that stock cooling? OMG

Haha that's my portable handheld fan for when I have a hot flash mate, I'm just experimenting with keeping the backplate as cool as possible as GDDR6X memory junction temps can be yikes depending on the workload.

Is that a MAKE SHIFT cooling duct? I mean that is really good work there, You do have some skills just need a bigger case.

Indeed it is, high temp/static/water-resistant foam, and would you believe it... duct tape. This case feels big after my last one honestly, and is big for SFF

And OMG the cables in the back ground, Did R2D2 puke in the corner there?

Theres a UPS behind it and a lot plugged in, when I finally settle on a setup I'll tidy it up. So..... never?

There's certainly no need for a bigger case - the NR200 with that fan layout has excellent cooling, and with the ducting avoiding the CPU cooler taking in hot air from the GPU I wouldn't be surprised if the whole build ran cooler than most similar mid-tower ATX builds out there.

Indeed it runs very cool and quiet, I don't know about compared to other cases, but the NR200 is excellent.

You're misreading the image. First off, the side panel is off ... because they're taking a picture of the inside of the PC. That's kind of a necessity, no? Secondly, a lot of testing (Optimum Tech, among others, has done a lot of work on comparing various airflow layouts in SFF cases) has shown in cases with a similar airflow setup that taking off the side panel hurts thermals as it ruins the wind tunnel effects of top- and bottom-mounted fans forcing vertical airflow through the case. Third, the fan layout of the case tells us that the duct is an intake, not an exhaust - unless they've gone completely off the rails and flipped the fan on their NH-L12 it's a downdraft cooler, so it blows towards the motherboard. The duct directs cool(er) air from behind the case into this fan, through the cooler, before having it exhausted up the top of the case. This avoids the CPU cooler taking in air that's been pre-heated by the GPU, as that's where the intake fans of the case are placed. So with this layout, both CPU and GPU has access to plenty of cool air from entirely outside of the case, while the hot air is being forcibly exhausted up through the top of the case.

Nailed it, this is exactly what I'm doing and it works super well.

The only thing really going against any of this is the fan blowing at the backplate of the GPU, which likely won't work very well with the side panel closed due to it fighting the top-mounted exhaust fans for airflow (fitting a smaller case fan closer to the GPU backplate would likely work better, though I wouldn't think it's actually necessary).

So my plan, in the long run, is a ~60mm fan around there, probably closer to the backplate itseld, oriented to pull air upwards, with a 3d printed (you guessed it) duct that will go down to almost touching the heatsinks on the backplate to pull air across them and exhaust upward through the wind tunnel.

That's pretty cool man. I stuffed an SLI X58 rig with an H100 into an Antec Sonata once.. It looked really sweet but it was pretty intense to try to cool. I like the duct idea. a 3D printer would be nice to have.

Cheers dude, As you can tell I am duct mad, and I just got the 3d printer so very much in the honeymoon phase, but it is its own beast too so I need to get better at my designing/slicing before I can pull off some of the ducts I want.

 

[silkstone]

I am a ducting addict atm! it's so effective at adapting heatsinks to different fans or directing fresh/hot air.

Amen brother.

Haha that's my portable handheld fan for when I have a hot flash mate, I'm just experimenting with keeping the backplate as cool as possible as GDDR6X memory junction temps can be yikes depending on the workload.

Indeed it is, high temp/static/water-resistant foam, and would you believe it... duct tape. This case feels big after my last one honestly, and is big for SFF

Theres a UPS behind it and a lot plugged in, when I finally settle on a setup I'll tidy it up. So..... never?

Indeed it runs very cool and quiet, I don't know about compared to other cases, but the NR200 is excellent.

Nailed it, this is exactly what I'm doing and it works super well.

So my plan, in the long run, is a ~60mm fan around there, probably closer to the backplate itseld, oriented to pull air upwards, with a 3d printed (you guessed it) duct that will go down to almost touching the heatsinks on the backplate to pull air across them and exhaust upward through the wind tunnel.

Cheers dude, As you can tell I am duct mad, and I just got the 3d printer so very much in the honeymoon phase, but it is its own beast too so I need to get better at my designing/slicing before I can pull off some of the ducts I want.

I love the NR200 and actually have an improved knockoff version of it. The SAMA IM01. It supports uATM boards and ATX PSUs at 1/2 the price. Awesome build quality too.
https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/jwqfco

 

[Valantar]

So my plan, in the long run, is a ~60mm fan around there, probably closer to the backplate itseld, oriented to pull air upwards, with a 3d printed (you guessed it) duct that will go down to almost touching the heatsinks on the backplate to pull air across them and exhaust upward through the wind tunnel.

Sounds like an excellent plan. A relatively tight fit that bows upwards to fit the fan (kind of shaped like a shoe, I guess?), with openings along the sides to take in air from the bottom of the case should be a good way to direct some extra airflow across the backplate.

Of course, if you want to really utilize that free space next to the PSU and improve backpate cooling efficiency, get a few coolers like these (or something similar that's suitable; there are plenty of designs around, including ones where you add your own heatpipes), mount them to the backplate, bend them into a suitable shape, and let the existing airflow take care of it. That should be suitably ghetto at least

I love the NR200 and actually have an improved knockoff version of it. The SAMA IM01. It supports uATM boards and ATX PSUs at 1/2 the price. Awesome build quality too.
https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/jwqfco

It's probably more accurate to describe both of those cases as a knock-off of the flexible layout concept first pioneered in the development of the upcoming Dan C4-SFX. Dan had posted that design long before CM launched the NR200 (even if the original C4 design was just a sandwich layout, that original design is now coming to market as the Lian-Li A4-H2O by Dancase, with the C4 now being a flexible layout), though of course it's impossible to say whether they came up with the layout on their own. Of course both Dancase layouts are significantly smaller too.

Still, adding mATX support in an NR200-like size is pretty good, even if it's >20l in volume. (Though admittedly the Cerberus did that at <20l in early 2016.) I've seen some mATX NR200 mods, so it should definitely work, though of course it'll affect compatibility with fans, radiators and so on. And all in all, it's so damn good that we're finally seeing a wide selection of good quality, well ventilated, reasonably priced SFF cases hit the market. It sure took long enough.

 

[FireFox]

Ready for Watercooling




I know i know, it could be better

 

[trickson]

Ready for Watercooling

View attachment 189664View attachment 189660
View attachment 189658

I know i know, it could be better

Do not be too critical on yourself, That looks Fucking AMAZING! AWESOME JOB!
You can always add finer touches where you feel they are needed (If you like).

 

[jboydgolfer]

SuperGlue my friend. Works a fair treat on things like that!

Yep, the video card will get hot and the rubber bands will break.

the original shroud must be reinstalled for RMA/service, super glue removes that option to a degree if it discolors the PCB, or cant be removed.

the bands dry out, but i was only doing it for a while. the stock shroud is solid & works fine, it was just my ambient temp caused a stupid looping fan on & off due to 'silent' fan technology.

the manufacturers support rep's were really curious how i got that shroud to work so well (since its not from a card with a remotely similar heatsink). i was able to screw it on, by drilling out a few anchor holes for the screws. they were really surprised i got it to fit, so they asked me to share how i did it. they were less impressed when i told them i too ka dremel to it to 'shave' off a few edges

it looked decent with the screws holding it down, but i couldnt use the pre-drilled holes for all the screws

 

[FireFox]

Do not be too critical on yourself, That looks Fucking AMAZING! AWESOME JOB!
You can always add finer touches where you feel they are needed (If you like).

Thanks.

after adding some tubes and the Reservoir it will looks much better

 

[lexluthermiester]

Ready for Watercooling

View attachment 189664View attachment 189660
View attachment 189658

I know i know, it could be better

I think it looks great. Not really ghetto at all...

 

[masterdeejay]

Sleeper PC, dual xeon 2643v3 (turbo hacked 2x6 core 3.7ghz), 8x8gb ddr4, and xfx radeon pro duo (dual fury x on one card and watercooled)
I must find a way to fit the cooler inside the case
Sempron sticker on the front of the case.

 

[micropage7]

got this tp link for cheap price, looks like the previous user was pretty bad treat it, after i inspect it further i found that the outer layer of pcb is bad, looks like coz of liquid? i dunno. after i tested it and it looks ok i coated it with red nail polish

oh the antenna need repaired too, so i drill a small holes and using copper cable to make it right

and now i realize why it tagged low, several drops connection in minutes, the lan itself is fine but when you use wifi it will drops several times within few minutes.

 

[micropage7]

Why there's no brand that use heatsink for their router, it won't cost them 1$

I make heatsink from coke can, sand paper it a little and glue it to the chip

Cheap and effective to cool the chip

 

[hat]

My old ASUS RT-N66R actually has a pretty beefy heatsink in it for a router. Looks something like this: http://mail.smallnetbuilder.com/ima...us_rtac66u/asus_rtac66u_board_top_w_htsnk.jpg

Looks like you can get one used for about $30 these days. I paid... something like $100 for mine new years ago. Not a bad router at all if you don't need anything faster than wireless N or you don't exactly have a gigabit hookup.

 

[Athlonite]

Why there's no brand that use heatsink for their router, it won't cost them 1$

View attachment 191929

I make heatsink from coke can, sand paper it a little and glue it to the chip

Cheap and effective to cool the chip

The other way to do it is pay a visit to an Computer shop and go through their bin and grab a southbridge heatsink from an old mobo and as long as you've got plenty of air flow your all good or like me and just want to make sure it's working good then find a 12V power connection and solder the fan to it with a resister to bring the V down to 7V little 40mm fan works great for this

 

[_JP_]

Why there's no brand that use heatsink for their router, it won't cost them 1$

View attachment 191929

I make heatsink from coke can, sand paper it a little and glue it to the chip

Cheap and effective to cool the chip

And you can always upgrade it to the costly Rp 600 heatsink...which is Rp100 and Rp200 coins alternately stacked with either thermal paste, glue...or toothpaste.
"Summer solutions" here to counter heat performance drops are done the same with 1/2/5 eurocent stacked coins, if you just want smething quick and cheap.

 

[micropage7]

And you can always upgrade it to the costly Rp 600 heatsink...which is Rp100 and Rp200 coins alternately stacked with either thermal paste, glue...or toothpaste.
"Summer solutions" here to counter heat performance drops are done the same with 1/2/5 eurocent stacked coins, if you just want smething quick and cheap.

I ever considered coin too but it looks not going well since the chip is small and i need more glue to make it sit right
And there another component that higher than the chip
I don't wanna use super glue, so for now that's the cooler for the chip

After several days i think it's pretty capable to bring the heat down

oh i forget about posting from weeks ago when i try to improve low end mechanical keyboard

and this one not packages of cocaine

i use plastic to fill the empty space below the keyboard so the sound and the feel is better than tapping on empty can

 

[silentbogo]

Wazzup, tinkerers. Haven't visited this thread in awhile, maybe I'm finally starting to do things the right way?
...or do I....

Spoiler

Got this super-old toshiba A300 with typical degradation of speaker membrane.
Came from my same-old stupid colleague, which does not understand the meaning of "not worth it", or "impossible to find".
Tried convincing him to use external speakers(even offered my spare shitty 2x2W kit for free), but he kept insisting on having internal speakers.
Toshiba made different shapes for a gazillion of variations of A300. New "compatible" replacements don't exist, and most parted-out speakers suffer from the exact same issue(rubber membrane disintegrates into slimy buggers).
I warned him - it's going to be ugly, and ... oh boy was it ugly.
So, I took some random speakers (probably pulled from an old monitor, or came with LVDS driver board), cut some plastic just to make it fit, stuck it on my least favorite "death grip" sticky tape and assembled it back together. Miraculously, the chassis closed without a hitch, and both speakers worked perfectly even with disproportionately-amputated resonator pieces.
No Harman-Kardon, but not too bad either.

 

[Dinnercore]

Posted this in a club forum but I think it fits here much better.

I got a watercooled 3090 and without reading into ampere I just went ahead and tested it noticing a rather 'high' memory temp at 74°C (worst case load mining eth). That lead me to do some research and yeah they have memory chips on the backside which are only cooled by the backplate.
Some air-cooled cards reach 100°C on the memory and my card seems to be ok for a watercooled version but still I wondered how I could improve the situation without removing any warranty stickers.

There we go. ~68°C on the memory now in the same test. Probably the one reaching 68°C still is in the top left of the picture under that white Inno3D sticker. I could not glue a heatsink there because of clearance issues with the RAM-slots on my board.

This white silicone based thermal glue works really nice. It creates a bond strong enough to hold up the card by one of the small copper heatsinks without it breaking off. Thermal conductivity is okay-ish. The heatsinks and backplate have an equal temperature. Thermal transfer working as intended. Before this mod the backplate got hot to the touch (no wonder) and with the mod it stays noticably cooler.

Best thing about the glue, once you carefully break the bond with a sharp scalpel or razor blade it can be cleaned without leaving residue.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

they were less impressed when i told them i too ka dremel to it to 'shave' off a few edges

Did the edges scratch you like a kitty?

 

[natr0n]

I ever considered coin too but it looks not going well since the chip is small and i need more glue to make it sit right
And there another component that higher than the chip
I don't wanna use super glue, so for now that's the cooler for the chip

After several days i think it's pretty capable to bring the heat down

oh i forget about posting from weeks ago when i try to improve low end mechanical keyboard
View attachment 191942
and this one not packages of cocaine
View attachment 191943
i use plastic to fill the empty space below the keyboard so the sound and the feel is better than tapping on empty can

Looks like a random drug smuggling pic with the bags rolled up. You do what you gotta do sometimes.

 

[micropage7]

I just realize that the thickness of coke can is same, the upper, the body and the lower part. So i made a bigger dissipation area than before

You will never know after the cover closed

 

[MIRTAZAPINE]

I just realize that the thickness of coke can is same, the upper, the body and the lower part. So i made a bigger dissipation area than before

You will never know after the cover closed

Even router need a can of coca-cola to remain cool. Not just human. Must be refreshing.

 

[Shihab]

Had to use some equipment software I don't really trust to be exposed to the internet or running on a machine I actively use, so I dug up an old laptop that I disassembled a decade ago (don't recall why), grabbed the nearest box, scissors and some glue, and ended up with this mess.

Runs surprisingly cool, even with the processor stuck at 100% most of the time (How on earth did we manage to do anything with these Celerons?). Used some of the cutout parts to make risers to have airflow bellow the mobo.

Extra: The small wire pinned to the side of that case fan I use to short-start the thing. Power button is broke. The fan itself is frankensteined to a USB plug, runs at less than half the speed, but it's more than enough.

 

[silentbogo]

Got another laptop for ya. Forgot to snap a pic of before and after, but it was bad. Fujitsu Lifebook A514 had its head snapped off.
That's another relatively rare in our area model, so we couldn't find replacement parts (LCD cover, frame etc.), so our customer simply asked to remove the screen.
It's cheap and old, so lengthy or expensive(over $50) repairs were out of question. Plus, she was already using it with an external monitor.
The most important thing was to keep WiFi antennas, so she can use it the same way as before.
At first I wanted to mount some RP-SMA connectors, but chassis is so flimsy, it would break in half as soon as it saw my mini-drill.
So, I moved antennas to the front, near the touchpad (the only unshielded part of the case). A little black tape, and it's almost invisible

Tested it afterwards, WiFI is as good(or as bad), as it was before.
P.S. I really need to get back an old habit of snapping pics at work. There were so many "unconventional" solutions lately, I could fill a whole thread with these ))))

Had to use some equipment software I don't really trust to be exposed to the internet or running on a machine I actively use, so I dug up an old laptop that I disassembled a decade ago (don't recall why), grabbed the nearest box, scissors and some glue, and ended up with this mess.

That's awesome. I might need to do something like that soon. Ordered a spare motherboard for my Lenovo M73p Tiny, but the seller sent me M700 by mistake (it looks very similar, if you don't pay attention on LGA1151 socket and a couple of M.2 slots). I've decided to keep it cause it's pretty bad-ass platform and a bit more expensive than the one I've ordered.

 

[Valantar]

Tore down my PC yesterday, disassembled and cleaned the CPU and GPU blocks plus pump+res combo. Still waiting on QDCs to arrive, so rather than putting the loop back in just to tear it down in a week I put in the RX 570 from my travel PC and put the old 212 Evo on the 5800X. But the case still needs airflow, and the front fan bracket is stuck to the no longer installed front radiator. What to do?

Well, it's obvious, really.