Log Mhero 4.9L retro gaming build

[dmitrybask]

I am a big fan of retro gaming, so currently banished optical drives are very important to me. This time I decided to create a retro build with a new ITX case with ODD.
I have purchased a new Mhero slim console case.
The case has a lovely sliding front door. It games me a vibe of older smartphones, when they had sliding panels, keyboards, when you had to physially open them.

I built it with LGA 1155 platform - last one to support Windows XP
CPU is i7 2600
Gtx 750 - one of the latest cards to support Windows XP
By default the case includes a PCI riser, which I swapped to PCIe.
It has a built in 120W DC PSU which works just fine in games. I think dual 100% cpu+gpu load should overload it, but this hasn’t happened yet.
An optical drive is a must thing for retro gaming, so it has a 5.25 slim drive bay, which is occupied by a DVD RW slot drive.
Cooling is done by a newly purchased Thermalright copper cooler, 47mm height.
I also installed red G Skill DDR3 sticks

Building in this case gives a DIY feelings, because it was made somewhat around 15-20 years ago, and many things were different then.

 

[Sicaris]

Very nice! I have been looking at this case for a potential htpc build, how do you feel about the quality? Also which slot load dvd are you using, my current one can be noisy with some disks.

 

[dmitrybask]

Very nice! I have been looking at this case for a potential htpc build, how do you feel about the quality? Also which slot load dvd are you using, my current one can be noisy with some disks.

The quality is average and there are some difficulties. From the outside the quality is fine, but inside it is not very good. PCI slot dimensions are a bit faulty and it takes some bending to put a GPU inside it. But this is all fine if you are a DIY fan. If you use it in desktop mode horizontally, you will see that inside it is inverted, so you can't use a regular tray drive. That's why I chose a slot drive - it works when inverted. I have a Sony AD-7640S and it has a usual average noise.
Manufacturer says that cooler max height is 50+, but 47mm Thermalright sits too tights, better to have a lower one.
GPU side doesn't have a proper ventilation, so better not to use a hot one. Maximum GPU length is about 24 cm.

 

[Sicaris]

Thanks, that's all really helpful info. Is there no way you can install the ODD the other way up so it would be correct in use? I think this would work for my needs if I can't figure out a way to get everything into something smaller.

 

[dmitrybask]

Thanks, that's all really helpful info. Is there no way you can install the ODD the other way up so it would be correct in use? I think this would work for my needs if I can't figure out a way to get everything into something smaller.

This is possible, but... The main problem is that a slim drive is assymetrical. Right side is thin and the left one - is thick. You cant just rotate it. First, you need to choose a motherboard with a higher CPU socket location. In my case it is located to close to GPU, so there is definetly no place for an inverted drive.

And second, you will need to modify a drive cage, or make another one.

If I try ro rotate my, it will be like this, and sticks into CPU cooler:

 

[dmitrybask]

Today I have received a Creative Sound Blaster SB0880 - a great card for Windows XP.
I am going to make an additional PCI slot in the back panel for it.

 

[dmitrybask]

I have cut the second PCI slot with dremel, and then painted the case black. Initially it was grey inside, which looked too sad.

Also I cut a bit of a stander to give more space to a gpu

Checking, how a sound card fits:

I still need to make a new longer PCI bracket to fix both cards properly

Front look with a slot drive:

 

[ignsvn]

Dude how / where did you manage to get those old components?

I built my first SFF PC in Silverstone SG08 case before (around 2009) and I remember it was already difficult to find that slim ODD (it's usually available as a laptop component, but yeah pretty hard to find)

 

[dmitrybask]

Dude how / where did you manage to get those old components?

I built my first SFF PC in Silverstone SG08 case before (around 2009) and I remember it was already difficult to find that slim ODD (it's usually available as a laptop component, but yeah pretty hard to find)

I think it is easier now than in 2009. Nobody needs optical drives anymore, so there is a huge amount of them on Ebay.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Dude how / where did you manage to get those old components?

I built my first SFF PC in Silverstone SG08 case before (around 2009) and I remember it was already difficult to find that slim ODD (it's usually available as a laptop component, but yeah pretty hard to find)

Any ThinkPad laptop dealer gonna have em. Or just search for eg. ThinkPad T520 ultrabay - also see: https://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Ultrabay

cu, w0lf.

 

[ignsvn]

Any ThinkPad laptop dealer gonna have em. Or just search for eg. ThinkPad T520 ultrabay - also see: https://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Ultrabay

cu, w0lf.

Oops I just realized that I wrote "old components". This is unacceptable from SFFN standard POV so let me rephrase that as "vintage components"

 

[dmitrybask]

I've made a new bracket for PCI slots. It is longer and holds two cards.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Oops I just realized that I wrote "old components". This is unacceptable from SFFN standard POV so let me rephrase that as "vintage components"

Wasnt aware this was meant offensive. T520 was released in 2012 I think, so .. certainly old. Or is it some context I'm missing again because I'm not a native English speaker?

cu, w0lf.

 

[ignsvn]

Wasnt aware this was meant offensive. T520 was released in 2012 I think, so .. certainly old. Or is it some context I'm missing again because I'm not a native English speaker?

cu, w0lf.

LOL naaah I was joking. It's not offensive at all.

I just like verbal jokes & word plays. And I'm not a native English speaker as well.