Rebuilding mid-tower... replace this case?

[Muse]

It's a modest system, for now will run XP, no browsing or email... it's an HTPC/HDTV system.

I'm replacing the mobo, CPU, RAM with this:

Gigabyte EP45 UD3R Motherboard
Q8200 2.33Ghz 45nm Core2Quad
2x2GB DDR2
Intel 180 120GB SSD to be partitioned 3 ways for multibooting XP
WD 3TB 5400 RPM Red internal HD for data

The ATX case I bought for ~$25 at a computer show in 2002. It had a 350w PSU in there that still works but I'll have a new EVGA SuperNOVA 550 G2 550W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply in it.

The case has the room I need, pretty sure (haven't started putting the components in there yet). I may well be wrong, but what I'm wondering about is the fact that the front of the case has just 2 USB connections. There's a cord that goes from that to the old mobo (which I haven't removed yet, but I will, I have good reason to believe the old mobo in there is virtually dead... won't boot or POST). I figure I put the USB cord's connector on the appropriate spot on the used Gigabyte EP45 UD3R Motherboard that I'm putting in there. Of course, just 2 USB ports is very very spare. I have USB hubs, a 6 port hub that I've been using. Is there anything wrong with doing things that way (e.g. is the 2 USB port + 6 port hub + cord going to function just fine) or will I get better throughput/performance, whatever if I get a modern case?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Nah, it's probably fine. With no gpu and no overclock, any case that could handle a ~90w Pentium 4 in 2002 will be able to handle the C2Q. Everything else you've mentioned seems pretty reasonable too.

The new PSU is a good idea though.

 

[Muse]

Actually, there is a GPU, a 9600GSO dual DVI card. I think it's alright. Thinking about it, I don't know that I'll need super USB support. Currently, the biggest SATA HD the system can handle internally is 500GB, and it does a really lousy job of that. Cruddy SATA controller (Silicon Image siI3512 SATA) on the current Gigabyte GA-K8n Pro motherboard. So, I have been writing HDTV data to external 2TB and 3TB HDs, which sucks. Anyway, I'm planning to install a 3TB HD internally this time and won't need USB for anything immediately except for cordless mouse receiver and scanner. I am not worried about the scanner. I can just plug that into USB on the back of the case, actually. That will circumvent any limitation on the front-of-case USB connections.

I have never overclocked. Don't game these days, never did much, just a freebie Doom long time ago. Was it Doom? Can't remember. LOL. I think it was some other very popular FPS or something.

Here's what has been in the case since about 2008 (I removed the HD's today in anticipation of removing the cards and mobo, probably tomorrow):

Gigabyte GA-K8n Pro motherboard Specs: http://ee.gigabyte.com/products/page/mb/ga-k8n_pro/ PDF of manual: http://download.gigabyte.eu/FileList/Manual/motherboard_manual_k8npro_e.pdf
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (socket 754, FSB1600, E6, Venice, 90nm, L2-512KB, 2GHz)
BFG Tech GeForce 6600GT OC 128MB DDR3 AGP Dual DVI Video Card w/TV-Out
3 sticks Crucial 1GB PC3200 400MHz 184-pin DDR Memory - CT12864Z40B, 3 GB total
Corsair vx550w PSU
USR Model 2977 PCI hardware modem
Hercules GTXP soundcard PCI with breakout box
MyHD MDP-130 HDTV DVI daughterboard
MyHD MDP-130 HDTV PCI

I think I was really an idiot to get that GA-K8n mobo. I think I got it because it supported my AGP video card. Didn't realize how much I was giving up to get that. Better idea would have been to get a better mobo and buy a PCI-E video card. That's what I'm putting in there this week, almost 9 years later. The suffering I've endured with the mobo!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally, you wanted to run the 3TB Red drive, and Windows 7. The EP35-UD3R will run a 3TB HDD no problem, with Windows 7. But not on Windows XP 32-bit.

You might have an issue there.

Edit: And you can get inexpensive external USB2.0 port cards, that have a cable that plugs into a mobo header just like the front-panel cable. They're like $5 from Chinese importers.

This isn't exactly what I was thinking of, this is a front 3.5" bay box.
https://www.fasttech.com/products/0...-usb2-0-hd-audio-floppy-drive-bay-front-panel

Edit: If you really wanted to get a new case, check out this Rosewill Blackbone on ShellShocker:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147023

It has four USB2.0 front-panel ports.

Also, a $10 MIR, making it $22.99 AR.

 

[Muse]

Thanks, being in CA I pay CA tax, but at $25 looks like a really good buy in a case, I have it in my cart and figure to snatch it ... free shipping, suppose I'll have it by Monday or Tuesday.

What issue might I have with that 3TB WD Red 5400RPM internal if running XP 32bit. I'm going to see if I can find out anything online. Win7 would cost me upwards of $150, I'm going to avoid it if I can. But I am tired of running on external HDs for HDTV. I've had a lot of issues... Windows losing access to the drive occasionally, dying HDs, other problems that may or may not involve writing to an external HD.

Edit: Found site that explains the problem with 3TB HDs and WinXP. It describes a limited solution. The limitations shouldn't bother me. However, I'm not sure I like using a strange driver/partitioning-system on the drive and bothering with setting that up. I figure I'll investigate this, though.

 

[VirtualLarry]

To actually boot an OS off of a drive that is larger than 2TB, you need a UEFI BIOS, which that S775 board does not have. To use a greater than 2TB data drive, all you have to do is run an OS that supported GPT partitions, which XP does NOT, and a disk controller / BIOS that supports greater than 2TB drives (which that board does).

 

[Muse]

Yeah, looks like that GPT adaptation system for XP used to be free (to early adopters), they want $20 for it now. I may just run a 3TB drive in there, I'm not space hungry now. I could put a 2TB in there later, move the data over from the 3TB and remove the 3TB for other use.

I may try to stick with this old case. I figure the front USB ports may be 2.0. USB 2.0 came out in early 2000. I seemed to get decent USB support from those ports with the older Gybabyte mobo, figure I'll get at least that with the one I'm putting in now.

I may just install in the old case I've been using. It already has two 120mm fans, one on the side, the other in back near the PSU. The front 2 USB ports, I figure, may support USB 2.0, which was introduced in early 2000. I seem to have gotten decent service from those two ports using the old Gigabyte mobo that I'm pulling, so it should do at least as well with the replacement.

 

[Murloc]

since it's an HTPC, can't you use linux on it?

Disregard this if those PCI cards aren't compatible ofc.

 

[Muse]

since it's an HTPC, can't you use linux on it?

Disregard this if those PCI cards aren't compatible ofc.

I believe the HDTV card is Windows only.

I removed the old mobo from the case. I see about 5 of the biggest capacitors are leaking, they are Nichicon. They have junk at the top. I suppose that explains why the system died slowly for several weeks until it wouldn't even POST.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I believe the HDTV card is Windows only.

I removed the old mobo from the case. I see about 5 of the biggest capacitors are leaking, they are Nichicon. They have junk at the top. I suppose that explains why the system died slowly for several weeks until it wouldn't even POST.

I had an EP45-UD3R, and it died in the throes of agony about three years ago. I kept the case, threw out the PSU which was "suspect," and built it into the 2700K sig-system. The case is a HAF 922, or the midtower model, and we have three of those. I was really gung-ho about those 200mm LED fans.

Back in '08, I bought a Stacker 830 -- black, anodized aluminum -- from a friend who splurged on two, thought he needed to get rid of one. $130 I paid him, if I remember. Then it was temporarily de-commissioned in 2014. I wrapped it in 32-gal garbage bags and put it in storage.

For my Skylake project, I decided to use it with some "subtle" mods. Still not completely finished, but it's operational, fully-OC'd, "well-lit," cool and very quiet.

So -- an 8-year-old case. But something like a Stacker 830, you don't just send to the county recycler. I'd be more inclined to do that with a HAF 922. And those have a lot of use-life left in 'em, too . . . :

. . . still need to run the Shark Navigator on that carpet . . .

 

[Muse]

I was very close to buying a case off Newegg yesterday (offer ending at midnight), but didn't. One factor was the lighting. There was discussion among reviewers of the lighting. Some found it great or unobtrusive, another said you could read a book by it. I watch projection TV or movies in that room and keep it as dark as possible when doing so. A lighted case is probably not a good idea. There is zero lighting on my cases except for maybe a power LED or two. My USB hubs give out some light and I sometimes get up and reorient them so they don't bug me.

The system I'm rebuilding's case is pretty primitive. Just two hopefully USB 2.0 ports on the front, no other connectivity on the case itself. Just a single power LED. The on/off button died years ago. I ripped out a Reset button I got somewhere and gave it a new home in this case and made it my new start button! It's a few inches from the non-functional on/off button. That case cost me $25 at a computer show and it included a very well reviewed L&C LC350W PSU that is still working and powers my 2nd midtower. The case for THAT midtower is even more primitive. It was from my first computer building project back in the 1990s. It's an Enlight case that was very popular at the time, not a cheapie. It has fancy mounting hardware inside, and I have all that stuff. That case has zero conveniences on the outside! ZERO! No USB (obviously it hadn't been invented yet, or at least was not released). No audio, nothing. To get USB with that computer I have to plug into the mobo itself from the back. I have a USB extension cable (with one female connector at the other end). I can plug a HD or a hub into it.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I was very close to buying a case off Newegg yesterday (offer ending at midnight), but didn't. One factor was the lighting. There was discussion among reviewers of the lighting. Some found it great or unobtrusive, another said you could read a book by it. I watch projection TV or movies in that room and keep it as dark as possible when doing so. A lighted case is probably not a good idea. There is zero lighting on my cases except for maybe a power LED or two. My USB hubs give out some light and I sometimes get up and reorient them so they don't bug me.

The system I'm rebuilding's case is pretty primitive. Just two hopefully USB 2.0 ports on the front, no other connectivity on the case itself. Just a single power LED. The on/off button died years ago. I ripped out a Reset button I got somewhere and gave it a new home in this case and made it my new start button! It's a few inches from the non-functional on/off button. That case cost me $25 at a computer show and it included a very well reviewed L&C LC350W PSU that is still working and powers my 2nd midtower. The case for THAT midtower is even more primitive. It was from my first computer building project back in the 1990s. It's an Enlight case that was very popular at the time, not a cheapie. It has fancy mounting hardware inside, and I have all that stuff. That case has zero conveniences on the outside! ZERO! No USB (obviously it hadn't been invented yet, or at least was not released). No audio, nothing. To get USB with that computer I have to plug into the mobo itself from the back. I have a USB extension cable (with one female connector at the other end). I can plug a HD or a hub into it.

I can switch off the cold-cathodes in that case (Stacker 830). There are two Logisys kits in there, probably paid about $8 for each. They come default with a PCI slot-cover with the switch, and I usually relocate the switch to a front-panel bay-cover -- a little dremel and drill work with small bits, but not much.

I took the picture to show the "replacement" red LED HDD light. The red and green LEDs were a DIY innovation: their location was supposed to be a "handle" recess for lifting the case. If you look closer, you'll see there are two eSATA ports using one of these (without the PCI plate bundled with them):

2x eSATA adapter PCI-plate

I bought mine at the Egg, but they don't carry them anymore. CDW price is the same -- chump-change. Egg also carries single-port items, if you want to remove the PCI plate and simply attach the plug to a modded bay-plate.

For USB3, you can get a $20 USB3 PCI-E x2 (or x4?) adapter, match it to the right mobo slot, and then run a 19-pin adapter cable with two USB3 ports for the front-panel, and do pretty much the same thing.

For me, a case is just a metal box with various ventilation options, which do not all need to be used. So my picture shows the top Stacker fan vent, blocked off with clear Lexan. There are two exhaust fans -- the ubiquitous 120mm rear-exhaust, and a 12-inch CM Stacker Cross-flow fan venting from the right-side case panel.

Ah-ah-ah-AH-Haaah! Ah-ah-ah-AH-Haah! That's all, folks! [Woody the Woodpecker.]