Hi, everyone! Newbie Case Modder here and my project is nothing special. I'm just making a computer that runs Windows XP, some games, and looks good. This project has gone on for a week or so already, so, I'm going to catch you up on what I have so far.

UPDATED 2-12-06
Inside:

CPU: Intel Celeron D, 2.26GHz @ 2.3 (Damn cheap-o HS ><)
MainBoard: Biostar P4VMA-M
RAM: 1024MB DDR400 Patriot
Video: Geforce 6200 256MB AGP 8x
Audio: Onboard + Creative I-Trigue 2.1 Surround
HDD: Seagate 30GB(Windows) + WD 20GB(Linux and Storage)
OPTICAL:
-Lite-On DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
CONNECTION: VIA Rhine Fast Ethernet 10/100mbps
COOLING:
-80mm Rear Intake Fan
-80mm Side Blowhole with Trinity fan grill
-Intel stock CPU fan and Heatsink
-Stock PSU fans (PSU**)
OS: Dual Boot - Windows XP Home SP2 + Ubuntu Breezy 5.10

*Certain Upgrade
**Possible Upgrade

As you can see, this rig is at about the same quality as an older Dell computer. Once I've upped the RAM and Video, it should be slightly better than the Dell Dimension 3000 belonging to my parents. One of the reasons that this project was undertaken was to show my family that a quality computer could be built from pre-exhisting parts for a fraction of the OEM price. So far, I've spent about $120 USD ($150 including software).

On the outside:

Another petname for this project was "Ressurection" as the case is that of an older generic PC. As a matter-of-fact, many of the parts to this build were 'saved' from the dump. The HDD was salvaged from an HP desktop that I trashed. The optical drives were torn from a rig that my neighbor had donated. The only 'new' items are the Main Board, CPU, and RAM, (Which was sold to me used, so even then.)

But, anyway, back on topic... The case was originally a generic beige ATX case that look slightly dusty. After a hack with the Dremil to add my frontal USB, and two coats of Krylon, this is what I had.



It looked good. I didn't have my board or chip at the time, so, I let it sit in my closet for a few days.

After a while, I added some red pinstripping and the project signage to the right side panel. After I had added this insignia, I layed on another coat of black Krylon. I covered 'bloodrun' in masking tape to keep it clean. This is that it looks like now, and a redo is in consideration.



Now, just the other day, I added an opening for a window mod. The window will be back-lit by red CCFLs and have a custom window etch.


Window


Etch Sketch

The 'br 1.0' will be omitted in the finished product.

So, with a good deal of the project already finished, I really don't have much to do, other than adding some CCFLs, replacing the case fan with an LED fan, and maybe replacing some other things like the CPU heatsink and fan.

~*~

This project was finished on Valentine's Day 2006. Thanks to all you that added your $.02!

Today was payday, so I got myself some goodies. I got ahold of a piece of plexi glass and used the Dremil on low speed for my etching. Here's a picture of the mounted window.



I tried better to focus this one. The etching came out alittle on the sloppy side, as I'm not that steady with the Dremil. I may decide to scrap this one and redo it with red UV dye.

I also painted over the bloodrun logo. It was getting on my nerves, and I had a better Idea for it anyway. I'll call on a good buddy of mine, who has some awesome PhotoShop skills. I don't have a pic, but when I painted over it, I got this embossed thing that looked almost neat. However, I'm going to take the sandpaper to it later. Also, to further enhance my mod, I painted red over some of the parts. Expect a full update with pics. tomorrow.

~Kratos~

Update: I broke my DVD drive. It was one of those "Go figure" moments. I was prying off the drive-tray face-plate for painting, and, being the big, muscular hunk of man that I am ( ) I busted the disc tray. Psh... Oh well.

Sweeet project.............Can we have some bigger pic's thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by THRASHER2 Sweeet project.............Can we have some bigger pic's thanks

Er...I wish I could, but the app that came with this cam sucks... But, I'll look for a 3rd party tool.

BTW: Thanks for the compliment!

Hey everyone.

I know I promised a full update, but I've ended up going to Walmart today. I added my next peice of hardware to this mess. I bought a GeForce MX4000 for about 69.99 USD. It wasn't until I got home, stuck it in, and turned it on that I realized I could have gotten a similar card for 31 USD off of Newegg. Wouldn't it figure... I have an inclination to take it back and get a refund, but as it stands a probably won't. I have better graphics and that's the bottom line. As for RAM, that could happen anytime between now and next month. Also on my list is DSL, so I can come on here and update more often. (Chugging along on Dial-up, right now...)

Well, in parting, I'll go ahead and tell you the sad part about my trip. I walked into WalMart with about 123 dollars in my wallet. I left the store with 5 dollars left.... If anyone should deserve a flogging, it's me...

Oh, by the way, the AGP card was, as mentioned above, a GeForce MX4000 with 128MB on RAM and the core clocked at 275MHz... With some tweaks and changes to my system in general, I may very well have a decent system...

UPDATE:

Things are coming alone pretty good. I gutted the whole thing today and painted the chassis red. However, I learned a hard lesson when it comes to painting metal: PRIMER! I didn't sand or prime and now the paint peels off certain areas like Goldmember. (Bring me zeh schkin box!) Oh, well, trial and error...


AH! Teh Bezel is missing!


Remember kids, Primer is your friend!

I'm looking for some cable sleeving now that I've gone trough the trouble of rounding my cables. Red would work but getting ahold of some UV reactive red would rock. I'm also doing some work with the front bezel. I peeled off the Intel case badge in favor of something to be found later. And, borrowing an idea from the Celtic Spiral, I'm going to add a triquetra/triad. Yes, I watch Charmed and know about the triquetra's meaning in that sense, but it's use in this mod is strictly cosmetic. I'm not Wiccan or Satanist. A red triquetra on my case simply has an asthetic appeal.


The triqruetra for my bezel.

Seems that I've hit a snag.

First off, let me clear this with any admins/mods.
Yes, I am going to touch lightly on the subject of piracy.
No, I am NOT going to request help with illegal software.
No, I am NOT going to encourage the downloading and installation of illegal software.

Okay...anyway.

As a confession, yes, my version of Windows XP is not quite legit. And now, Gates' brainchild is asking me for product activation. I have no 'valid' product key on hand. Therefore, I an quite screwed.

Option 1: Revert back to Win98. (But I was having fun in the 21st century!)

Option 2: Kill Bill and migrate to Linux. (Penguins are better, anyway... )

Option 3: Smash my piggy bank and BUY ( Gasp! ) Windows XP.

Option 4: Code my own OS.

Option 1 is a fate worse than death. Option 2 would mean leaving behind all of my games that won't run with the penguin. Option 3 goes agianst my religion (Cheapism). And Option 4 is just plain silly (I know little more than parlor-trick C++). Right then, anyone could assist me with my dillema without getting me a forum ban would become a saint in the eyes of this poor n00b.

NOTE: If anypimp at the Trading Post has a spare copy of Windows XP (SP1 is ok but SP2 is better) with valid COA and a good price tag, gimme a PM and I'll 'holla back'.

Try option 2B. Use Linux (Preferably Linspire [It's for the most part Idiot-Proof]) and buy an emulator Win4LinPro,

Quote: Originally Posted by Seikatsu Try option 2B. Use Linux (Preferably Linspire [It's for the most part Idiot-Proof]) and buy an emulator Win4LinPro,

Hrm...
Or, I could mosey on over to the trading post and buy a COA.

But then you'd have to deal with Microsux and regedit the hell out of it.

Quote: Originally Posted by Seikatsu Try option 2B. Use Linux (Preferably Linspire [It's for the most part Idiot-Proof]) and buy an emulator Win4LinPro,

I perfer using Freebsd for my server needs but it requires some experience, i learned to work with freebsd before getting familiar with windows, i got good peformance from freebsd running apache, a ircd server, tryed a counter strike server but my uplink suks so that didnt go through. I say buy a coa, and then share it with me just kiddin

Quote: Originally Posted by Seikatsu But then you'd have to deal with Microsux and regedit the hell out of it.

I can't help it, I grew up with M$. Linux is unfamiliar territory... I DON'T WANNA BE A LINUX N00B! :cry:

That's why I suggested Linspire. It's very friendly, and except for a couple of bumps (which win4linpro will smooth over) is a easy and almost seamless conversion from Microsux.

I have about 5 Ubuntu Linux CD's in the mail. I planned on using one for an upcoming server rig. But, I suppose I can try it here.

Only problem that I'll have is my modem is a Winmodem. I hate Dial-up! ><

Quote: Originally Posted by Kratos I have about 5 Ubuntu Linux CD's in the mail. I planned on using one for an upcoming server rig. But, I suppose I can try it here. Only problem that I'll have is my modem is a Winmodem. I hate Dial-up! ><

Make sure that you get a hardware modem to solve that problem and make sure it has a driver for the Os that you will be using.

Why you got dial-up? HIGH SPEED net not a option?

Quote: Originally Posted by CubanConnectionZ Why you got dial-up? HIGH SPEED net not a option?

The fastest connection that we can afford is DSL from our current ISP, that's on my list for this next paycheck. I also got a PayPal account. If you wanna support Project BloodRun, PM me!

NOTE: I'm not too sure how PayPal works and how money transfers are done, help would be nice!

EDIT/UPDATE: I have made some decisions on the layout of project BloodRun. However, they don't seem to fit the overall theme of the title. As such, I may very well rechisten this work as either 'BloodRed' or 'Triquetra'

My ideas:

I found a can of Cold Galvanizing Compund in our garage, and seeing as my HDD cage came unpainted, I'm thinking about coating it in that. Either that or repaint it red (with primer!). As for the front bezel, I want to drill an 80mm blow hole, relocating my current fan from the back to the front, replaceing said fan with a nice 120mm. For the front blow hole I want to have an aluminum fan grill shaped like a triquertra. I may get adventerous and go for it myself, or have it professionally fabricated. Anyway, until next post!

~Kratos~

WIRED FOR SOUND!

I took and added a mod, as I wasn't doing anything better. I took and pried apart my $15 speakers from Kmart and mounted them in my case. They're magnetically sheilded which help me with my hesitant approach to this mod. (Magnets? This close to my HD?!!) But, so far, so good! It sounds okay and clears some of the stuff off of my desk! I just need to get a 3.25" Drive bay cover so I can mount the speaker controls properly!


Up next: I'm looking into getting a small TFT LCD module (3-5 inchs) to mount in the side of the case. I needs to be s-video input as thats the only extra port on my vid card. (Unless I can find a nice signal splitter for my AGP card.)

Keep pimpin' it!

KR4T05

Bump, because I don't want to see this project die. I don't yet have the materials to do anything, but suggestions, comments, and critizism are all welcome.

Sorry for the hiatus, back to school season is a pain. I got my RAM today. Cheapest Dual Channel Kit I could find. And with that purchase of $43, I can officially say that for all performance accounts, BloodRun is (drumroll) COMPLETE!!! Yay.... Here's the skinny on what has gone into this thing already.

Biostar P4VMA-M - $30 Newegg.com
Intel Celeron 2.26GHz/800MHz FSB - $68.98 Newegg.com
BFG Tech GeForce4 MX 4000 128MB VDRAM - $69.99 Wal*Mart (rip-off! ><)
Rosewill High Performance Dual Channel Memory 512MB (2 x 256) DDR 400 ~ $43 Newegg.com

Grand Total Spent so Far: $211.97
Dell Dimension 3000: $499*

*Prices taken from Dell.com, prices may vary due to time of purchase and retailer prices.

Therefore, I have accomplished my primary goal of building a similar (if not better) computer, for less than half the OEM price. Now, on to the hardcore modding, benchmarking, and overclocking. Any advice in this area would make me quite happy.

Right, with that out of the way, I can concentrate on my next steps. Here's the general checklist for BloodRun:

Revising the Window*
Right Panel Logo
-OR-
TFT LCD Mount
Cooling (Air or Liquid)
Lighting

So, as you can see, I have alot to do, yet. Those who have posted and given me advice/complments, thank you.

Kratos

Quote: Originally Posted by Seikatsu Try option 2B. Use Linux (Preferably Linspire [It's for the most part Idiot-Proof]) and buy an emulator Win4LinPro,

Well... I'm using Ubuntu now, explaining my long hiatus... I got DSL, killing two (or three) birds with one (or 78.44) stones... Well, I can't complain too much... Cooking along at this speed is much better than the old, mouldy dail-up I was stuck with before. Peng_Lord, instruct me in you Linux mastery!

Revised List:

Downloads:

Drivers for my junk.
Cedaga: Windows Emulator
Console emulators (If any)

Buy:
PSU
Other assorted Gunk and Junk...