Building a case

[HappyCracker]

So the other day, I picked up an older mATX S370 board. I really don't feel like buying an mATX case for it because I don't like any of the ones that are available. I do have some MDF that would hold it nicely. If the board is up on regular case standoffs, the tab on the PCI cards could be screwed down to the top of the wood. So I got to thinking.
Two questions arose:
1: Is it safe to use wood? What about the grounding provided by metal cases? Also, I know the metal protects against EM interference. Should I assume this machine will mess with my monitor? (The monitor will probably sit on top of this case-thing.)

2: The motherboard will be in the center and enclosed on all sides. I will put a couple of fans in the setup. Should I have them on opposite sides on opposing walls (eg. right side front, left side back) or does this matter?

Yes I could build a "crack rack" with a full size case, but... eh, mebbe it's time for something different. Besides, it is strong enough to hold a monitor as it is. I can stand on the part I have and it shows no signs of bending so it's good to at least 145 pounds. Anything you guys want to add would be helpful. I've never really attempted something like this but I see it ending up well. ADVthanksANCE

 

[harrkev]

If it was me, I would just get a cheap steel case, and glue/epoxy/screw the wood all around it. Then, you get the advantage of the look of wood and its sound-absorbing properites, but your case is still strong inside and everything will fit.

The lack of grounding should not bother the monitor, but will hurt radio reception nearby. Yes, if you are good with wood then you can do it, but the hardest part would be providing support for your cards (including video card). Those cards need to be secured fairly well at the back to keep from putting too much stress on the card slot. So, measure twice, cut once. They will need to be within 1/8 or so of where they are supposed to be. You will also need to provide adequate airflow.

In short, yes, it is possible. But is would be enough of a PITA to make it not worth it, unless you are a super-carpenter who enjoys this stuff.

 

[HappyCracker]

Well what I have already is some MDF shaped like this:

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only better looking. I found it in a closet in a room I moved into a couple of years ago. I can fit everything inside that center section I think. The ends could hold more also. This won't be for a very heavy duty computer so I was thinking of covering that center hole with a piece of MDF and put a fan on each piece. It wouldn't be the greatest looking machine but it would be a desk piece...and a pain in my butt to service. I'm not really going for style here but I do see your point. I have an Antec KS280 case (older, like the one in the AMD ads in magazines) that is housing one of my XP2500+ boxes and it isn't the quietest case. I have a newer Antec SX635B that I really like so I was thinking about getting another one of those and popping this mATX board in the older KS280 case and having both Athlons in the SX635s. It would be possible to tack some MDF onto this older Antec but I would need a forklift to move it; it weighs a ton already.
Thanks for responding, you gave me an option I didn't know existed. I am kinda attracted to an AOpen black mid-tower case that Newegg has. Sorry for so much stream of consciousness typing. Hope it helps get across what I'm thinking.

 

[HeXploiT]

Wood works great and don't worry about the case grounding. I built my own wood case from a material called P-lam. It's a really nice wood made for countertops and the like. This was the most awesome(albeit ugly) case i have ever used. It went through four motherboard upgrades until just recently when i switched to a newer aluminum case. There is no mod that brings the satisfaction of doing something so unique. I'll be showing my grandkids this thing and they'll be saying, "grandpa, what in the hell is that?"

http://www.hardcoreware.net/rigs/index.php?&r=279
http://pictures.care2.com/view/2/587470301

 

[HappyCracker]

Hey I really like that. Is that a small piece of 1x on the edge of the motherboard to hold it off the body? What did you use to hold the hard drives down? The screw holes on the bottom of the drives? I have a hard drive cage I got from someone I was thinking of using but it doesn't leave me with much room for expansion. Now to decide whether to paint or not.
Funny, the system I'm putting together is very similar to what you have in that box. P3 700, TNT2 PCI video card and 256 MB RAM.

 

[HeXploiT]

It's a piece of 3/4" plywood just glued flat to the inside of the case. Instead of using anything to hold the drives down i built wooden shelves for them. There are no screws whatsoever. This may seem dangerous but really it was brilliant as removing a drive was as simple as opening the swinging door on the case and unplugging the cables. Also the drives never moved because the case never moved even though it's on wheels. There was a ton of room for the drives. If you look closely at the two drives on top you'll see that they're the older style scsi drives that weighed about 6lbs each. The negative aspect of the shelf thing is that the drives sat directly on the wood so they would reach temps of 50 degrees although i used probably twenty different drives in this case and not one of them died on me.