Project: Cubit 3

han_solo

han_solo

han_solo

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Joined
11 Mar 2009
Posts
1,061
Hi there,

Will be starting my first build very soon and am in the process of ordering bits and pieces.

I've recently caught the small form factor bug to a point where i consider the Shuttle form factor to be too big and even the SG05 to be on the largish side for me :P

As the title suggests, i have two main aims with the Cubit 3: put together the most powerful pc i can afford together with the smallest device footprint i can manage :)

Why the Cubit 3? Well, i personally think it's the best and 'true' small form factor case there is. Plus, it's no longer made anymore making it even more desirable :)

Hopefully lots of pictures will follow in the not too distant future but here is a list of what i'm hoping to put in and outside of the Cubit 3:

1. Intel i7 2600 (non k) - don't really know how to oc properly and it's probably just as well given how small the case is :P Plus, i think it's plenty fast :)
2. Asrock Z68 itx mobo
3. 2x4gb DDR3 ram
4. C300 SSD
5. 320gb 2.5" HDD (when 1tb prices come down i'll get one)
6. Slim ODD
7. Suitable low profile cooler with fan (aiming for efficiency and silence due to not needing to OC)
8. OCZ 500w psu (have this lying around doing nothing)
9. GTX 560 ti (Palit or Gainward branded... it's the only gfx card that's going to 'fit')

Need to source some modders mesh and a few other bits which i'll detail during my build... there are lots of things which i'm not sure about yet as i'm muddling my way around how best to do it.. so please be patient with me and my build :P

That's it for now folks. Hopefully some pics will follow soon :)
 
Hyburnate said:
mnpctech do some lovely mesh.

Subbed.
Click to expand...

ah thanks! been looking some that's sensibly priced...however i did just notice something on fleabay that could prove to be a useful substitute ;) Will see. Thanks v. much though.. most helpful :)

KiiYzOo said:
sounds like it's gonna be good :D:p
Click to expand...

thanks mate, I hope it turns out well :) I'm not really a modder and i'm not really all that good with modding stuff as i have no special tools or experience (unlike most of the modders you read about). I'm going to have to make do with whatever i have :) I'm mainly relying on work-arounds and alternatives that will either reduce the work involved or time taken :P
 
More delays with all my bits which is probably just as well seeing i keep changing my mind about things as well as a few problems i have yet to solve :P Here's something that came today :) I really like it :)

20111014131213.jpg


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Did a fair amount of research before settling on this one. Only low cpu cooler that would fit in my planned set up that's rated suitable for 130w use :) Direct contact with the heatpipes can't be a bad thing surely :P I also got some IC Diamond from ocuk (no pic though as it's not as exciting :P)
 
I've not had time to set up the case yet :) I'll post up pics of the case tomorrow with a little talk through of the mods i'm planning on doing :) (would be funny if I just modded the box to fit my bits in... million dollar pc in the making? i don't think so :P)

It can accomodate a gfx card of approximate length 200mm.

The most powerful card i can find ones made by Gainward and Palit. Their websites state 188mm.. which might mean i could probably fit a thin fan near the front to help with cooling and air flow.. not sure yet :P

I've got a wanted thread here and funds are already stretched so trying to get one second hand for a reasonable price:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18328412
 
silly me :P

It should be able to house a normal dual slot gfx card :)
(i gave up on my inital idea of trying to find a decent aftermarket single slot gfx cooler.. short answer is they don't exist)

Planning on adding a third 2.5" drive now... somewhere :P
 
I'm open to suggestions :) Providing the card length is <=200mm then please let me know! :)

I don't know of another gtx 560 ti that's around that card length you see... do you?

edit: palit and gainward re-arrange the whole reference pcb enabling them to produce versions that's considerably shorter... don't know anyone else that's done this.
 
yup, pretty long! so palit/gainward did a very good job in providing much shorter versions. Even the phantoms are 188mm :) I should be ok if i get one of the shorter versions and OC it to 570 levels... should handle BF3 ok methinks :)

Was planning on using longer gfx cards but that would mean having a few inches of gfx card sticking out at the back (bit like a PSU extender thingy from Lian Li :P). Decided against it as it's actually not feasible and would make it look less nice.
 
I know this might be a bit cheeky, but here's my Cubit just to give everyone an idea of the size:

cubit0cr.jpg


Good luck with the project, I've wanted to stick an i5 based system in mine for ages, but it's still soldiering on with the Core 2 Duo in there for the minute :)

You're never getting a dual slot card in there either, not unless you have some serious modding skills!
 
Thanks Mr. Gimp :)

Right, apologies for the pic quality as i don't have a fancy camera :)

Face plate :)
20111014155845.jpg


Case body with MB, HDD and ODD tray slotted in :)
20111014155938.jpg


With front plate screwed on (nice long thumb screws made of alu)
20111014160104.jpg


Lastly another one with a stick of ram to give it some sort of scale.. it's very small :)
20111014160144.jpg



The PSU will be fitted externally :P Was planning on an sfx psu but would have to compromise too much on the gfx so went with the more powerful gfx option instead. Each tray will be replaced with something that will house all the bits i need to put in there.. can you see the potential already?? :) Like i've already said, i'm not a big modder so the options i go for will involve the least amount of work (hopefully!). That's it for now :)
 
thanks, i've actually used thumb screws for the back panel for the front :P Other than the gfx card, my biggest problem at the moment is how best to mod the ODD and soon to be GFX tray ;) Also, i still have no idea how best to create a custom back panel. I've not seen anybody that offers this service? Probably really expensive if they did i'd imagine..

...anyway, i guess i've got a bit of time to think about it and to come up with a suitable solution :)
 
Mr Gimp said:
You're never getting a dual slot card in there either, not unless you have some serious modding skills!
Click to expand...

hehe... that's what i thought :P But i think it can be done :) Like i've repeatedly said, i have zero modding skills (let alone the 'serious modding skills' you refer to :P) but i like 'problem solving' and see this as an 'optimisation' problem and i already know what the constraints are :) The biggest mistake i'm trying to avoid is to hastily bend or cut things only then to realise that if i had done it slightly differently then i could have accomodated for X or allowed for Y etc. It's times like these, some CAD skills would come in very very handy :P

Chances are, i could be wrong and it can't be done and this will be an unfinished project but if it works out then i'd be one very happy bunny.. serious gaming ability within a tiny case :)
 
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