HAF 932 worklog

[apsoul]

Well I finally decided to dismantel my 932, paint it, and put it back together. I'm thinking a deep/dark flat red interior. Still planning the parts, and I haven't bought the paint yet. Will be drilling the rivets out as soon as this is posted. I will be posting pics periodically. I will be buying most of the parts in jan or feb as this is when my credit card will be paid off, and i will have an extra couple hundred a month to play with.

Current parts in my posession:
- Corsair 650tx
- Thermalright true copper ultra120
- Stock parts from HP a6700f

Projected upgrades(subject to change)
- M4A79T AM3 DDR3 mobo
- gpu - 4770 maybe
- Phenom II x4 965(125w) or x3 720 maybe
- whatever else i can get the $ for.

any thoughts or suggestions much welcome

 

[dirkpitt45]

Go with a 5850 or 4890 and a phenom II X4 940.

Personally I think the 965 is a waste of money. Might as well go with an i5 if your spending $200 on a cpu. Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops Cause it out preforms the 965, and its only $5 more.

Edit: Or even a 5750, only a bit more then the 4770 and it probably does a lot better. It's also dx11 so it'll get better with time once drivers are out.

 

[apsoul]

i dont think the 940 supports ddr3 and gpu will be decided later as i dont need anything crazy good.

 

[apsoul]

Sanding is a PITA. took nearly 2 hours just to "scuff up" the rear panel with all its corners/recesses/grates etc. I think i did a decent job though. before i can through any pictures up i will need to throw my hardware back together so that i can upload from camera. This laptop won't do it.
One panel done, 5 to go... and the hdd racks, and the 5.25 rack, and the i/o shield housing.

 

[philbar71]

^ what grit did you use? i would only have used like 1000 grit, to maintain the smooth surface of the old paint.

 

[Burn]

1000? O.O
When I painted mine I started with 200, finished with 400 and still got a good finish after I painted.

 

[S0ULphIRE]

I haven't modded a case paint job yet, but I've done plenty of other paint jobs. I don't think I'd ever go as low as 200, too easy to make a mistake. I usually do a quick pass using 400, then a longer pass with an 800 grit.

 

[apsoul]

I'm using 400 grit, will make a couple passes with primer, then use an 800/1000 grit, spray, 1000-1500 grit, spray finish. only doing interior and it will be matte finish

edit: interior and rear panel that was same as interior color. if i do go red, should look nice with the black pci slot covers

edit 2: Anybody have any thoughts on how to tape off the case mesh so that the red paint doesn't get on the side of the mesh holes? i was thinking of trying to stick something in the hole, cutting the ends off, and taping over it on the outside. suggestions?

 

[apsoul]

got my computer back in old case, and now I have pictures! i have up to this point sanded the rear panel, the i/o shield and pci slot piece, and i'm halfway done with the HDD rack. Time is hard to come by when working a full time job, and taking care of a 15month old. at this rate i might be done sanding by xmas haha.

all plastic off the HAF, ready to drill out the rivets

my case in a bunch of little pieces. minus the side panels. after seeing it all apart like this, its more obvious how little air is restricted from entering/leaving this case, there are holes everywhere!

 

[S0ULphIRE]

haha, nice. I'm way to lazy to ever consider taking apart my whole case. Still going with the dark red inside? Gonna be matte or glossy?