Building Xbox PC - Need some advice

[Zaazu]

Hello,

I'm in the process of building a computer inside an Original Xbox case to use as an emulation HTPC, it's been done before so I know its possible, however one thing all of them have in common is that they never use a 3.5" HDD, probably due to its size.

This is what the layout is looking like at the moment if I was to get a 190mm FlexATX PSU (150mm would be to the line that can barely be seen):

http://i.imgur.com/DQ04uhI.jpg

My plan is to also have a mini 1050ti sitting on top of the HDD with a PCIE riser.

I don't think I'll have enough clearance to fit the HDD and also the Graphics card as I plan to raise the motherboard off the base slightly with standoffs, then a little clearance for the PCIE slot, followed by the HDD then finally the Graphics Card.

Anyways, I have a couple questions:
Are there any smaller form factor Motherboards that I can also use a graphics card with?
Do you think I could get away with using the picoPSU-160-XT + 192W Adapter ( http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-160-XT-192W-Adapter-Power-Kit )? PC Part Picker shows a max of around 250w but I don't know how accurate that is.

PC Part Picker:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/jcBfgL
No components other than the HDD and cooler has been purchased, as that is all I have from a previous build, so I'd be up for changing stuff around if needed.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Edit: I might have found a way to have the HDD slightly above the two sticks of RAM which should give me the clearance needed for a FlexATX PSU. Anyone got any good recommendations, something preferably quiet! Thanks

 

[Jonny727272]

Hello,
I'm actually doing the same thing but making a full PC out of mine. That is the smallest mobo you can get if you still want to use a GPU and don't want to get too crazy with powered M.2 adapters.
And the Pico option might work, but any significant power draw could break it, as well as your system. I would highly recommend a G-unique unit. I'm using that in my build and it's an amazing little piece of tech. You could also go with the HDPLEX set up and fit an internal 300w converter.
Good luck with your build/mod and I look forward to seeing pics!

 

[Zaazu]

I've ordered some parts to see what I can do, I might just go with the FlexATX in the end. Would love to see pics of yours too!

 

[T_Tank]

I swore I saw a few of these attempts back in the day an sure enough found a link that should be a massive help to you with some ideas on how to arrange everything in the original xbox case
http://www.willudesign.com/?project=os-xbox-pro

best of luck to ya!

 

[Jonny727272]

How's your build going? I finally got around to tearing my Xbox down today and I must say, I'm getting a bit overwhelmed with all the little things. I have never done a case mod on this scale, and things like making standoff holes, IO cutouts, and GPU mounting slots are giving me a headache >_< Do you have any advice or are you just as lost as me?

 

[SeñorDonut]

Are there any smaller form factor Motherboards that I can also use a graphics card with?

STX or Micro STX would work, though you'd have to use an expensive MXM card, an MXM to PCIe adapter (Micro STX only), or an M.2 to PCIe adapter.

Do you think I could get away with using the picoPSU

Probably, but G-unique has some more powerful solutions. Personally, I wouldn't go below 300W on that build but I'm a bit of a safety nut.

 

[SeñorDonut]

How's your build going? I finally got around to tearing my Xbox down today and I must say, I'm getting a bit overwhelmed with all the little things. I have never done a case mod on this scale, and things like making standoff holes, IO cutouts, and GPU mounting slots are giving me a headache >_< Do you have any advice or are you just as lost as me?

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/resources/useful-references-for-case-design.4/

 

[Zaazu]

How's your build going? I finally got around to tearing my Xbox down today and I must say, I'm getting a bit overwhelmed with all the little things. I have never done a case mod on this scale, and things like making standoff holes, IO cutouts, and GPU mounting slots are giving me a headache >_< Do you have any advice or are you just as lost as me?

Hey,

First time I'm doing a case mod myself, I take it slow, measure twice cut once. Just remember, you can always cut away more plastic but you can't add it back so easily.
As silly as this sounds, what I did was cut out shapes out of cardboard to see what orientation I'd be doing, then I ordered my parts. I'm currently at the stage where I need to cut some scrap metal sheeting I have to line the bottom of the case to add some rigidity and to help with head dissipation.

Cardboard Components! (HDD was part of the xbox):

This is where I'm up to currently:

That's an old broken motherboard, still waiting for the new one to arrive, it has a better layout that gives me more room to mount the HDD above the RAM. I'm thinking I might swap out the TFX power supply for a FlexATX as that'll give me more room on the sides, which then I could add a couple of 60mm fans to help airflow.

I'll make a proper post later when I get around to finishing!

Good Luck with your build!

 

[T_Tank]

If ya check out that link a guy made a metal motherboard tray and used a rather small psu but also using what I think was a micro ATX motherboard o.o

 

[Zaazu]

If ya check out that link a guy made a metal motherboard tray and used a rather small psu but also using what I think was a micro ATX motherboard o.o

Yeah I watched the video, that's actually what inspired me to make one myself. He used an Xbox Dev Kit though, they're slightly taller as they housed extra hardware to help programmers debug their games.

I'd love to use one of those but to destroy a Dev kit would be blasphemy! ... and also they sell for hundreds of pounds!

 

[Zaazu]

Just a small update. I managed to pretty much complete the project. I'll be sure to post pictures in the next couple days.

Specs:
CPU: Intel i5-7600
CPU Cooler: Silverstone SST-AR06
Case Fan: NOCTUA NF-A6x25 PWM
Motherboard: ASROCK H270M-ITX/AC
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4 2400 MHz
Storage: Western Digital 120 GB M.2 SSD
Storage: Seagate 8TB 3.5" HDD
Storage: Seagate 2TB 2.5" HDD
Graphics Card: MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GT LP 4 GB
PSU: Seasonic Flex ATX SSP-300SUG SSP-300SUG

For now, here's a preview:

Sorry for the image quality, my phones camera is a bit crappy

 

[TheHig]

Nice job getting all that in there. 10Tb of storage! Downloading your entire Steam catalog during the summer sale?

I'm interested in what temps you are getting as well as noise impressions.

Looks good

 

[Zaazu]

Nice job getting all that in there. 10Tb of storage! Downloading your entire Steam catalog during the summer sale?

I'm interested in what temps you are getting as well as noise impressions.

Looks good

Noise is pretty quiet, you can hear the fans in a quiet room but if you turn the TV on and have a moderate volume you can't hear it. Temps are a little higher than I'd like, about 80c on the processor under load, GPU is nice and cool at 60c.

Gonna see if I can undervolt it a bit since I read that the auto setting can pump more voltage than needed.

 

[Zaazu]

Hey,

I did a full write up in a new thread in case anyone wanted to see it

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/original-xbox-htpc-computer-inside-xbox-case.2602/

 

[Jonny727272]

I gave you an upvote on Reddit too!

 

[Zaazu]

haha thanks