How easy is it to dremel sections out of a case?

[Tom B]

I'm looking at the Aerocool P7-C1. It looks beautiful and it fits with the aesthetic of my modern/futuristic flat really well. I've not seen a case I like more. I would happily spend more on a case, but I've not seen one I like better than this other than some of the £1000+ In-Win's which are beyond my budget.

For my next build I have the budget and time for a watercooled build and would like to fit a XSPC RX320 white radiator at the front. However, looking at the case and reviews, there's no way it would fit.

Here's a photo of the problem: https://www.nikktech.com/main/images/pics/reviews/aerocool/p7_c1_tempered/aerocool_p7_c1_16.jpg

This cut out section is ~50mm, not nearly enough for a 56mm rad + 25mm fan.

Below this cutout on the case is a removable 3.5" bay drive which I don't need as I'm going for 500gb m.2 paired with a 500gb SSD I already own so I can remove it. I have a NAS for all my photos/videos/music so it's just OS/games/documents I want on the installed disks. If I need more than my current 1tb space I'll buy another m.2/SSD.

I've never used a dremel to remove sections of a case but since it's a £90 case (annoyingly the black one is less-- i want the white one) so it's not the end of the world if I ruin it, but I would like a little advice on how easy or difficult it would be to extend that cut out section and fit a larger radiator.

More importantly, I'd like to do this without a obvious jagged cut, I could sand the join but can I paint it without taking the entire case apart?

Ruining a £90 case isn't the end of the world, I certainly wouldn't try to mod a £300 case, but any pointers would be welcome!

Thanks for any advice

 

[Tom B]

Thanks for the tips! It looks simple enough to give a go. As I said, for a £90 case I don't mind damaging it.

Also, I'm willing to pay ~£100 to someone who willing do this for me, it'll cost me that in equipment as I don't have the tools.

 

[Tom B]

I've started using engineer's blue (sometimes called marking fluid) to aid in the marking of any lines that need cut. Previously used masking tape but this just roughed up and collected the swarf, sometime marking the paint the masking tape was used to protect. Making the cut is the easy bit, getting it straight and true is the hard bit!

Thanks, I had planned to tape or clamp a block of wood into place to mark the line and run the dremel along it, but I guess the dremel would just cut into the wood. These tips are all very helpful!