Old beige ATX/mATX case for sleeper PC

[mirage12356]

I'm looking to put my build into an old beige case just for the fun of it. the idea of a sleeper PC especially in an old beige case is just so tantalizing I have to do it.
so the components that will go into this are:

Mobo: mATX Asus P8B75-M/CSM
CPU: i3-3220 (+stock cooler for now)
GPU: EVGA GTX 650ti Boost SC
PSU: Corsair CX500
RAM: 8gb Patriot Signature (4x2gb)
and your average 3.5 hdd.

Im just looking for any old beige computer case that will fit the atx and matx form factor.
I want something i can pick up for cheap and that will fit all of the components without having to do any modding or anything like that. Think of the IBM aptiva or something that similar.

I may check out the local electronics recycling place to see if they have anything, and im having a bit of luck on ebay and such, but help finding a good one is still wanted

 

[Deemo13]

I've done the same thing with another build of mine. Its an old old ATX case. Mine goes like so:

Mobo: ASUS P8-H61M
CPU: Intel Celeron G530
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6670
PSU: Corsair CX500
RAM: 4GB
HDD: Western Digital Scorpio Blue
OPTICAL: Lite-On SATA

But I am going to change to this older but faster setup:

Mobo: Dell XPS 630i
CPU: Intel Core2Duo E8400
GPU: SLI Nvidia GTS 250
PSU: Antec EarthWatts 650W
RAM: 8GB DDR2-800
HDD: Samsung 840 EVO
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE
OPTICAL: IDE DVD-RW

The computer works very well and is almost near silent. I got a little bored of it, so I added a green LED strip and a green LED fan in the front. Now the beige computer glows green.

The thing is, while there were motherboard standards as far as 1998, there were no case standards. The power supply of this computer is mounted literally right in front of the heatsink (PSU intake fan is above heatsink)

Luckily, the stock heatsink for Intel is very low clearance. Also make sure that your components cool well.

 

[mirage12356]

cooling is the main issue with the old cases it seems, many dont have fan mounts or many vents. plus the old beige cases are most often made of steel which makes modding a lot more difficult

 

[Deemo13]

Mine didnt have a hard drive cage, so I was able to drill a new cage pretty easily into the bottom. There is a grate on the front where I was able to screw a fan in. You can also get those Thermaltake fans that are mountable in the expansion slots. I used to have one but I lost it.

My computer actually doesnt heat up that much.

 

[mirage12356]

Im talking to a guy on ebay who was origianally selling a bunch of refurbished pentium 4, athlon xp, and duron computers. they all come in some real old school beige cases and he says he can sell me just a case with a fan in it no problem. I think this is going to be a great sleeper pc :]

 

[GhislainG]

I'd ask how large the fan is because all beige cases that I've owned had 80mm fans. Cooling shouldn't be an issue with an ATX case, but I'd stay away from smaller cases.

 

[mirage12356]

all the cases he has are ATX and if it really needs be, i can always mod a 120mm fan mount on there somewhere

 

[GhislainG]

all the cases he has are ATX and if it really needs be, i can always mod a 120mm fan mount on there somewhere

The beige cases I had couldn't easily be modded to mount a 120mm fan in the back. A good 80mm fan should be fine with your hardware.

 

[mirage12356]

the case i am getting only has room for 1 60mm fan, do you think that will be enough?

 

[GhislainG]

Yes if it spins fast enough, your GPU doesn't exit hot air inside the case and the PSU pulls out enough hot air (the more efficient the PSU is, the less heat it pulls out because its fan runs slower). I presume you want people to believe your PC is old and worth next to nothing so that it won't be stolen. I'd try to find a better case like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129156 that's not attractive and rather old.

Other old beige cases:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/InWin-V-Series-Beige-Mini-Tower-mATX-Case-CA-V500-NEW-/350679834380?pt=US_Computer_Cases&hash=item51a6259f0c

http://www.ebay.com/itm/A-Open-H500A-Computer-Case-Beige-WITHOUT-Power-Supply-/170912282186?pt=US_Computer_Cases&hash=item27cb2a764a

An alternate solution is to buy a cheap black case, paint it beige, beat it up and then assemble your system. If you do a good job, it should be ugly enough not to get attraction.

 

[Deemo13]

The case I have just has a grate on the front with several holes on it. I was able to just use 2 fan screws to keep a 120MM fan on there (I use an 80MM now).

 

[mirage12356]

fair enough. I pretty much am going for a computer that is reminiscent of the first computer my family used to own, while still enjoying the performance of a modern system. for example, I have done everything in my power to make Windows 7 look like Windows 95 ( use classic theme, use windows 95 desktop icons, change the boot screen to be identical to win95, change the login screen background, etc.)
its mostly all for the quirky-ness of it. plus being in a case older than 10 years old yes, it probably wont be stolen if that situation were ever to arise.

 

[Deemo13]

Just try to go for low heat things or things that dissipate well.

 

[mirage12356]

I actually was able to pick up an old pc from a friend, that has an 80mm fan on it. I spent a good 2 hours on cable management too. so i feel comfortable with it