A GPU stuffed inside a Chopin

Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
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SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
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Because I was bored. So this was my Sunday afternoon:





Radeon RX 460 with a PCIe extender, working on a Ubuntu Live setup. Time to proceed.



Cut in the frame to route the PCIe extender through. This isn't the ideal route for a short extender, that's marked with the pencil line but it goes straight through the 2,5" frame bracked which is harder to cut. The cutout pictured here needed to be extended further on the right by a few centimeters.


So the extenter fits, it goes a short length below the board before crossing to the other side of the middle structure. It is in no way a good extender: it's a ribbon cable type with metal cladding, as basic as they come. Hopefully it'll still function at a decent speed without much issue.



Crappy cutout at the back (right on the photo), but it fits well there. Although now the side panel doesn't close with that small heatsink sticking out.

So Monday after work I finished the mod by cutting the side panel and mounting a Noctua 92mm x 15mm fan:





This'll do for now. I'll know how it'll run once I've installed an OS but I have no spare storage device lying around, tomorrow I'll get one and be able to install, test and tweak it. This is going to be a LAN PC to make a friend happy that just borrows someone else's laptop for our LAN parties.
 
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Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
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The Chopin is already embracing protrusions stock, on the CPU side. I choose to go along with it :D
I'm sure with a redesigned internal structure a single-slot GPU would fit without issue but it doesn't. Maybe a challenge when I get bored the next time :)
 

Phuncz

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Today I installed an SSD in roughly the only spot available: next to the CPU fan in the grill protrusion. Windows installed, AMD drivers reported 35°C idle and 56°C while running Unigine Superposition. No anomalies, it works !
 
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Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
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I can't wait to see your build !
Basically I was able to recuperate a lot of unused parts in this and the only purchase (for the project) was the SSD.
 

Windfall

Shrink Ray Wielder
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Nov 14, 2017
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Wait, @Phuncz, you're from Belgium, right?

You need to put a Titin decal on the front of this thing.

(Sorry I'll leave now. Every post I've made in the last few minutes had some sort of joke in it.)
 

Phuncz

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You mean Tintin ? I was never really into the comics, although I regret I didn't when I was a little nipper.
 

Windfall

Shrink Ray Wielder
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Nov 14, 2017
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You mean Tintin ? I was never really into the comics, although I regret I didn't when I was a little nipper.

Ah, sorry. Autocorrect screwed that one over good, sir.

Yeah, Tintin.

I'm american, and I love those comics!
 

Nexus

Case Bender
Feb 16, 2019
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How much is the depth of the front and back of the case. The best all internal dimensions. Want to buy but I'm not sure that all that I have in mind will fit.
 

Phuncz

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May 9, 2015
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I think it's 150mm and it's the absolute tightest fit for the location of the GPU mount and the cut. Having a flexible one would help a little.