Among my ever growing collection of spare parts, I have this nMediaPC HTPC case.  I have used it for a few different projects, initially as an HTPC, then later as the case for my parent's computer.  During that usage, I have discovered that the case is a piece of crap.  To save space, the PSU is located in the front of the case, and it relies on an internally-mounted extension cable to allow you to plug a standard power cable into the back of the case.  This extension cable is constantly under stress from the HDD cage, and just touching the case the wrong way or putting any pressure on it will usually cause the the cable to shift slightly, loose connection, and power down the computer the hard way.

 

I now have this case collecting dust around my house.  I have removed the PSU and cheesy extension cable.  The PSU may be just fine, I'm not sure yet since I haven't had a chance to test it, but I know it isn't 80+ certified, so I will probably want to replace it out of principle even if it does work.

 

I'm considering modding this case to make it actually usable again.  Note: I have never modded a case before, this will be my first attempt.  This will most likely be for my personal use only, so it doesn't have to be pretty.  What I would like to do is swap the position of the PSU and the HDD cage, so that I won't need to use the crap extension cable.  Another option is to leave the PSU where it is and just get a very long but otherwise standard power cable that would run internally through the case for a bit (maybe 12" or so), then come out the back and plug into the wall like usual.  I think I would prefer to mount the PSU at the back of the case so that I would still have access to the on/off switch, but I can live without it if needed (I have thus far, anyway).

 

Here's my MS Paint artist renditions of the proposed change:

Current:

Proposed:

 

I've done some rough measurements, and moving the PSU to the area I proposed above would eat into 3 of the PCI expansion bays.  That's fine with me, but I'm wondering if I would need to get a small sized motherboard to compensate, maybe a micro-ATX or even a mini-ITX.

 

The other crucial operation would be to replace all the fans on the case, especially the 2 x 60 mm fans.  They are loud and useless.  If somebody knows of some good 60 mm fans, I may just replace them straight up, but I know that as a rule smaller fans will be louder and move less air.  So...if possible, I would like to replace all the fans with one or two good fans of more standard size, maybe 80 or 90 mm.  I don't think there is room in the case for a 120 mm fan, unless maybe I mounted it on the roof of the case (which I would consider if you all think it may help).

 

More ghetto-fab illustrations:

Current:

Proposed:

This setup would probably require that I mount the case vertically, so as to give the heat wash from the CPU a direct path out of the case.

 

The next decision is of course what to do with the case, once it is rendered usable again.  I'm considering a few options:

1) A backup unRAID server with 3 drives and the free version of unRAID, to act as an off-site backup for my most important stuff.

2) A middle-of-the-road HTPC, fast enough to play 720p video, but not top-of-the-line by any means.  Many onboard video cards can handle 720p, so that shouldn't be a problem.

3) Some hybrid of the two ideas, such as a HTPC that streams video from my current unRAID server, and a small HDD for the OS and on-site backup of my most important stuff.

 

As of now the case can only hold 3 HDDs, so its usefulness as a server is pretty limited.  I could probably cram more HDDs in there if I created a custom HDD cage, or even removed the optical drive bay, but I'm afraid heat will be an issue.

 

Anyway....fire away with suggestions, proposals, pitfalls to avoid, etc.  Again, this is all just for fun.

If you go to a pet store you can pick up a dog leash which is made of aircraft cable that has an anchor on one end that you hammer 3 feet underground and a clasp on the other. In your front yard near the sidewalk, Hammer the anchor 3 ft into the ground using the supplied tool. Attach the other end of the aircraft cable securely to the Media Center PC case. Fill the Media Center case with bricks. Now sit back and observe as people try to flee the area with your media center PC.

 

The laughter is worth the price...

Just replace that internal cable with something longer.  I picked up an external male connecter just like what's on the case now that had solder terminals on the back side, cut off a standard PC power cable to the length I wanted, soldered it on and fixed my old Antec desktop case (same problem, PS up front, and it required a 'special' power supply.  I replaced their power cabling like I just mentioned, and used a standard PS in my case).  I also had a nMedia 100 case (I believe that was it, had a display up front that I replaced with a much nicer real LCD that you could program line by line), and while it's not the most well-built case, it served it's purpose for me at the time, and now a friend uses it for his HTPC machine and has had no complaints (except that the LCD I put in it is too bright, lol).