PSi7 [5,7 liter] or "How to stuff a Gaming PC into a PS3 case" (work in progress)

[RichMasTa]

Hello to all the nerds around here

First I just wanted to say THANK YOU to the whole community! I have been reading here for some time and now it's my turn to share something with you:

My first SFF built - code name PSi7 (still work in progress)

Spoiler: Case-history-blabla

The whole idea started already years ago...in my head. I got a broken PS3 (YLOD) from my cousin. He wanted me to fix it. When I opened the case I could see various traces of someone else already "fixing" it -> long story short: it stayed dead and I was the new owner. My thirst thought: a PC needs to move in there But as a poor student, it remained an idea

Though when I started writing my master thesis in 2017, I needed something to keep me going -> The PS3 PC idea had her grand appearance in my head and this time I said YES. Sold my old PC (i5-760, 16GB, 500GB HDD, GTX 770) and was looking for something serious.
But for the beginning there was only money for the basics:

Got a used bundle for 350€:
CPU: i7-6700k
MoBo: ASUS Z170i Pro Gaming
RAM: 16GB Crucial DDR4 2133MHz

A used CoolerMaster M450 PSU came as a temporary unit for 35€
Because I new in the end it should wander into the PS3 case, I started looking for the smallest best performing CPU cooler possible for this project. Google quickly revealed Smallformfactor.net. And that's how the (long) journey started:

Obviously a NOCTUA L9i was the way to go -> ebay second hand 19€. After a short test of the system, I realized how much performance I missed out all these years and quickly wanted to get a fully working built together.
But still on a tight budget there were not much options.
Settled with a (of course second hand ) Sharkoon C10 for just 10€ and an old AMD HD6950 I still had lying around. But the GPU reference cooler design was way too loud. Luckily I had an even older AMD 1950X card with an aftermarket Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 on it. But the HD6950 wanted some more cooling than just a passive heatpipe construction.
2 120mm PWM fans where mounted -> wouldn't fit inside the case anymore As it turned out to be very low noise at under 10% PWM (~500RPM) I was satisfied...for now.
Months later I got an offer: A borrowed slightly better MSI R9 280 ("relabeled" HD7950) from a friend who went way up for a GTX1080. Better performance for me and easier fit inside the case. But after closing the GPU sidepanel the temps went up about 10-15°C and so did the noiselevel So it had to stay open.
I started to be unsatisfied with the "thermal design" of the small C10 case and finally focused on the blueprints for the PS3 case...
First step: buying an additional broken PS3 to get a worry-free experimental experience

Just a quick note ahead: I never intended to publicly present any of my projects, so the images do not necessarily show every single step or detail!

This built has already past the proof-of-concept stage
(Planing and scraping components for 18 months)

Whats inside:

CPU: i7-6700K

Spoiler: doing Intels job

Found a nice guy with more than "none experience" who had the right tools for the job - he did it for me

MoBo: ASUS Z170I Pro Gaming
RAM: 16GB (2x8GB Crucial DDR4 2133MHz)
GPU: MSI GTX1070 Aero ITX

Spoiler: fresh out of the box

...well, for me at least Has been in someone elses PC for 1 year

Storage1: Samsung PM961 256GB (M.2)
Storage2: Crucial MX300 525GB (2,5" SATA)

Spoiler: Halfsize SSD

maybe it won't even fit "naked" (extra cables needed as well), then I am definitely switching to a bigger M.2 drive

CPU-Cooler: AIO Antec Kühler H20 620

Spoiler: Customized AIO

See post #2 for more info

Fan: Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM
Case Fan1: Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM

Spoiler: Contoured

Case Fan2: Noctua NF-A4x10 PWM
PCI-E 16x Riser Cable: LiHeat Gen 3.0 (30cm)
PSU Combo: HDPLEX 400W + Dell 330W external brick



The Playstation 3 (housing from the first batch 2007)

Spoiler: Secret

How normal people see the PS3:

How I see the PS3:

This semi-seethrough acrylic only seems to have been used for the first batch/generation of units Sony made (Those with 4 USB slots at the front and a cardreader underneath the hatch next to the slotin drive in case anybody remembers - Sony ditched it anyway)

The main picture shows the working unit with everything inside except the HDPLEX (wich came in the meantime). The ATX PSU in the background was used for this test.



Will keep posting and update with all the info and details I have (there is more already waiting)

Interested in something particular - feel free to ask

 

[RichMasTa]

With an empty case in front of my I let my imagination take over:

1. More power = better
2. PSi7 is going to be operated in standing position only
3. larger graphics cards are (mostly) cheaper
4. just start doing it
5. keep using all parts as long as possible before staring the "swap"

Spoiler: So much room...

...this will be easy

I made some simple 3D models out of cardboard and paper to getter a better feel for the space needed for each component (sorry, no pics, I threw them away after I bought the real items)

Because I had a larger graphics card at that time my head fixed the idea of the card being a dual-fan version wich will be like the heart component visible through the case (see-through case in first post). Somehow I did not realize that I could have gotten along with a much easier version in the end by just placing the card next to the motherboard...you will see where this ended in a bit

Spoiler: Floorplan 1

I can't find the first sketch of the first versions. This is the last version I made after I realized I can't fit motherboard and graphics card on top of each other, even if they go back to back. Even if I was willing to mount the CPU fan on the outside (mounting the motherboard upside-down the cooler facing towards the backside (case standing) "nobody" would see it...)

What you can actually see is the way I finally went: WATERCOOLED
I had ZERO experiance with watercooling in general. Not even had an AIO, nor did any of my friends. But hey, it's the only way I saw. After a long search-session I finally asked someone who was selling an AIO to give me the dimensions -> it seemed to fit and so I bought it (Antec H20 620). The orange in the sketch shows the pump block and part of the attached tubing. The green is the radiator (with the wrong width) and the weapon of choice (which I didn't even have ) - a NOCTUA A12x15. Lucky me - this fan was introduced not long before I needed it

Now it was clear that I could not use a dual-fan card any more - the whole concept started to fall apart, but not my will to get a "gameable" system inside the PS3 housing!
In the end I obeyed my 1. rule and went with an MSI GTX 1070 ITX. More power = computer will longer be "useful"

Spoiler: Floorplan 2

This sketch should represent the motherboard. The position of the parts and mounting holes varied a bit over time because at first it was just estimations, later some point needed more precise positions...

That's where I realized that I hat to move the whole graphics card out of the center of the case (and therefore off the point with the highest clearance). I was lucky again: nothing was in the way and my boring memory without any extra heatspreader left enough clearance (see "Floorplan 1" - grey position of the GPU)

Spoiler: Time for some cutting

BTW, blue = "DON'T CUT" (screw holes)

Spoiler: Check 1

No, these hoses are not "userfriendly" -> Custom AIO length needed

Spoiler: AIO adjustments

As this watercooling system was oooold (and cheapo ) I knew it was time to clean and refill it anyway

There was just some bit of gunk but not as much as I would have expected from horror storys on reddit...

The inner workings

Now it was time for the real deal

As I was not willing th disconnect those fittings I chose a different approach:
Finding the right length...

...and inserting a piece of the bent version of those common "stainless steal reusable straws".
I found some with exactly the right diameter (I think 5mm inner and 6mm outer). Though they were quite a pain in the a** to get back on!

(copyright @ groupon)


Tadaaaa! Even with right color for in- and outlet
Refilled it before I closed the system at copper heat exchanger of the pump. Much shaking was involved
I thing I did not pay attention to was the direction the clamps were facing when tightened - turned out not to be perfect...

But nothing makes a job more complete than a safety test:
(Could not find the IR thermometer so I improvised a bit)
After half an hour directly on the stove at about 90-100°C I was convinced that it worked well enough...

Spoiler: When it sits it fits

"Time to check out your new home" the motherboard was told. So it did
In the meantime the PCIe riser cable and the graphics card also stopped by - "flat share"

More details to come. Stand by!

 

[el01]

WHOA

 

[RichMasTa]

For everybody who watched closely: I had to remove the mounting/IO-panel of the graphics card, as the top is curved and maximum clearance is needed!

Spoiler: Who needs an I/O panel?

Overrated

This is approximately the position in wich the card will be in the end (yes, it needs to be tilted).
The last HDMI port won't be usable, but for a tripple-monitor setup I will be fine (for the future I am aiming for an 34" 21:9 screen anyway)

Spoiler: Top view

Yes I know, the DP connectors will take some of the airflow because they are bigger than I thought. I might order some with a 90 dregee upward angle as well as shorter cables. Ordered the 50cm version because I initially wanted to route them the opposite direction and under the card between motherboard and radiator -> to little space...

Spoiler: Curved problem 1 - the fan

On one side there is the Noctua fan that needed to be shaped for a proper fit

Spoiler: Curved problem 2 - the HDPLEX

On the other there is the HDPLEX had to loose some feathers as well

The lower "heatsink" at the desired position...
...before...

...and after some love <3

Every millimeter counts

Spoiler: Clearance?

How much did we get out of the procedure?
Enough...if you take into account that the fan is obviously NOT at his final position

Spoiler: Bird #1 - 24pin ATX special

As the position of the HDPLEX is fixed I encountered a new problem: the cable for the 24pin ATX connector was to short!!!
I really thought this nightmare of "small adjustments" will never end :/

But hey, along my mind comes a long forgotten part lying in the parts drawer (from a 2010 HTPC...oh man time keeps flying by), waiting patiently to save the day and kill two birds with one stone

Like a rainbow colored unicorn-tale (lovers of clean black-in-black-builds are advised to wear sunglasses)

See next spoiler for details about the extra wires

Spoiler: Bird #2 - power button

For everybody that doesn't know: The Playstation 3 ís not using physical (push-)buttons to power it on or eject the disc from the drive.

Sony decided using soft-touch keys...

...and so am I going to

With the help of the premade wires from the ATX connector it is possible to get job done easy.
purple = 5V SB [Standby] (as long as the PSU gets power = 5V)
red = 5V (only active when PC = turned ON)
black = ground

A gem for everybody who likes to keep a clean look of his case:
The touch button used here is a "TTP223 touch key" I found on "Aliexpress"
It works perfectly through plastics and in this scenario may even profit from built in metallic "I/O" inlay.
The twisted white/back wires is going to the according "power button" pin on the motherboard
NOTE: after testing the circuit I realized the black wire going to the "power button" is NOT needed - simply connect the one wire coming from "I/O" to the "right" pin on the motherboard "power button" and configure the TTP223 to be "touch = low" (soldering bridge A to be connected), otherwise the motherboard will not behave as intended!
The red status LED of the TTP223 touch key can be desoldered after the testing is done, but I am going to keep it as a "power is connected"-indicator. When you take a look at the picture above you can see a the light-conducting plastic is right near the LED. The second one will maybe get a green light for "system is ON"

The (not) finished wiring (-> black wire still there)

Anybody still curious? Not every detail has been unveiled yet

 

[el01]

For everybody who watched closely: I had to remove the mounting/IO-panel of the graphics card, as the top is curved and maximum clearance is needed!

Spoiler: Who needs an I/O panel?

Overrated

This is approximately the position in wich the card will be in the end (yes, it needs to be tilted).
The last HDMI port won't be usable, but for a tripple-monitor setup I will be fine (for the future I am aiming for an 34" 21:9 screen anyway)

Spoiler: Top view

Yes I know, the DP connectors will take some of the airflow because they are bigger than I thought. I might order some with a 90 dregee upward angle as well as shorter cables. Ordered the 50cm version because I initially wanted to route them the opposite direction and under the card between motherboard and radiator -> to little space...

Spoiler: Curved problem 1 - the fan

On one side there is the Noctua fan that needed to be shaped for a proper fit

Spoiler: Curved problem 2 - the HDPLEX

On the other there is the HDPLEX had to loose some feathers as well

The lower "heatsink" at the desired position...
...before...

...and after some love <3

Every millimeter counts

Spoiler: Clearance?

How much did we get out of the procedure?
Enough...if you take into account that the fan is obviously NOT at his final position

Spoiler: Bird #1 - 24pin ATX special

As the position of the HDPLEX is fixed I encountered a new problem: the cable for the 24pin ATX connector was to short!!!
I really thought this nightmare of "small adjustments" will never end :/

But hey, along my mind comes a long forgotten part lying in the parts drawer (from a 2010 HTPC...oh man time keeps flying by), waiting patiently to save the day and kill two birds with one stone

Like a rainbow colored unicorn-tale (lovers of clean black-in-black-builds are advised to wear sunglasses)

See next spoiler for details about the extra wires

Spoiler: Bird #2 - power button

For everybody that doesn't know: The Playstation 3 ís not using physical (push-)buttons to power it on or eject the disc from the drive.

Sony decided using soft-touch keys...

...and so am I going to

With the help of the premade wires from the ATX connector it is possible to get job done easy.
purple = 5V SB [Standby] (as long as the PSU gets power = 5V)
red = 5V (only active when PC = turned ON)
black = ground

A gem for everybody who likes to keep a clean look of his case:
The touch button used here is a "TTP223 touch key" I found on "Aliexpress"
It works perfectly through plastics and in this scenario may even profit from built in metallic "I/O" inlay.
The twisted white/back wires is going to the according "power button" pin on the motherboard
NOTE: after testing the circuit I realized the black wire going to the "power button" is NOT needed - simply connect the one wire coming from "I/O" to the "right" pin on the motherboard "power button" and configure the TTP223 to be "touch = low" (soldering bridge A to be connected), otherwise the motherboard will not behave as intended!
The red status LED of the TTP223 touch key can be desoldered after the testing is done, but I am going to keep it as a "power is connected"-indicator. When you take a look at the picture above you can see a the light-conducting plastic is right near the LED. The second one will maybe get a green light for "system is ON"

The (not) finished wiring (-> black wire still there)

Anybody still curious? Not every detail has been unveiled yet

Desolder the HDMI and reorient it

 

[RichMasTa]

Thank's for the idea, but I am not mad (enough) to do that
Yeah, in the world of modding normally it would be a legit approach, but in this case also loosing any warranty (still got 2 years left ) is not worth a single (unused) HDMI port

 

[RichMasTa]

Here I have some extra shots to better see the low profile

Nope, such a low profile would not be achievable with any (working) air cooled solution (at least I am aware of).
And before anyone asks: I was searching for a custom watercooling loop. But I think all the CPU blocks I have seen had there ports in the top in the middle...of course...

And as far as the necessity of the pump goes, extra space is needed as well. To top it all: price and availability of second hand parts...
(BTW: the only things I bought brand new were the HDPLEX, the Noctua A12x15 and some small bits and pieces like the DP extension cables, the stainless steel straws and the capacitive touch sensor)

Spoiler: Profile view - top

It fits on a piece of A4 paper. Inside the case it needs to get just a bit closer together so the gap between motherboard and radiator will shrink to about 7mm

Spoiler: Profile view - I/O side

Spoiler: Profile view - opposite side

Spoiler: Profile view - PCIe side

Spoiler: Radiator - backside view in case

The cutout really is far from perfect - but hey, that's why I use an experimental case

Spoiler: Radiator - cutout view in case

Another unique essence was needed to be bend to my will:
The PCIe riser cable

To get the right length before ordering was not the easiest task. In the end I went with 5cm (=30cm if I ever wanted to use it in some other project) extra wich I didn't regret

Spoiler: 30cm for only 12cm to reach

If you ever need a "helping ear"

Appreciate your help buddy

Spoiler: Riser cable fitted

Yep I know, I'm note pleased with the clamps either...

I have to admit that cutting cost is NOT necessary worth it at every single detail!
How I learned? With the

POWER SUPPLY aka DELL 330W power brick

Who's coming with me on a field inspection?

I bought a "prepared to - but never used" power brick for only 40€ shipped.
The downside - cable was cut to 10cm left

Now that I could not use the standard connector supplied with the HDPLEX I was in the need of a solution that can handle the power => up to (330W / 19V)= 17,4 amps
Well, the internet offered several solutions, mostly form the R/C airplane sector. I picked a connector that was available pre-manufactured with 1m of 2,5mm² (~12-13AWG) [got it from here: "Powerbox-Systems" = ~15€ shipped]

The connector is a so called MPX (introduced to the market by MULTIPLEX)
It has a 6pin layout and is rated at 35A continuous and 30 seconds up to 60A of current - so I will be save

Spoiler: MPX detail

Yes, it's not such a big plug

The female connector also had to be bought separately as well as the mounting kit [~8€]

Spoiler: Piece by piece

Desoldered the original HDPLEX socket PCP for the 7.4x5mm Dell connector.
Waiting desperately to finish the backpanel of the case to finally get these wires soldered and test the HDPLEX-Dell combo

As the Powerbox came with separated blue and red cables I needed to sleeve them [~5€]

Spoiler: Colors behind bars

Not as close as visible as in this shot - see next spoiler

Spoiler: Finished product

If I had known how much money and effort was needed to be put into this "none-primary" part, I would have simply bought a new Dell AC adapter with warranty for 100€...


ONE main question left: How am I going to mount the graphics card???
(on the I/O side it has a hole left and right, but on the other side...)

 

[ExplodingWaffle101]

i got scared when you said you cheaped out on the power brick and a problem

 

[RichMasTa]

I even skipped the scary part: Due to the natural behavior of stranded wire sucking solder like crazy, the whole wire insulation got preeeeety jelly (much heat was required to get the two ends together). Well, because the cable was cut just before to the EMI ferrit thingy, I could not really separate the wires and decided to put (/"stuff") some multiple layers of electrical tape in between the + and the - wires.
First test (without load) at least showed no short

 

[Mtthwmths]

I cleaned an old PS3 with the sd card reader recently, and I thought about how cool the smoked acrylic would look with some lights and a pc in it. I come here. and there it is. Awesome work, love the shaped noctua fan!

 

[rosinbole]

Great job so far!

 

[RichMasTa]

Great job so far!

Thank you, this keeps me motivated! (...and of course not having a gaming PC atm )

I cleaned an old PS3 with the sd card reader recently, and I thought about how cool the smoked acrylic would look with some lights and a pc in it. I come here. and there it is. Awesome work, love the shaped noctua fan!

When I found out about the smoked acrylic (by accident(!) after disassembling the PS3), I did a quick research online but haven't seen anyone showig it off... To be honest I don't think this particular bulid will land in this case. I feel it is way to stuffed and the potential of the "lights-on=>see-through"-effect gets lost. Maybe I'll make an HTPC version with an AMD APU for my cousin (the one I've gotten the PS3 from) for light gaming (some simple splitscreen 1-4 player games?)

Spoiler: Play-bench

sadly only one has the special smoked acrylic

I did something like this about 10 years ago as my first custom build (Intel Atom-ION in a CD-player case for perfect HiFi component integration). It worked out better than I imagined back then - the best part: It is still alive! (will make an own thread when I find some time for a photo-session and add a link to my signature - some mod-gems waiting to be revealed )

Haha, the shaped Noctua! Jeah, it is the product of pure necessity: What's the biggest fan you can fit if you've got round about 90mm of height available? => looking at the A9x14 mounted on the L9i - like love at first sight <3 Brought them closer together with a grinder

I have mounted it as an INTAKE fan:

• direction of the natural airflow (stack effect)
• helps to get fresh air inside the case
• partially air passes the motherboard
• partially air passes under the GPU
• partially air passes through the GPU cooler

When running the system in idle / basic office/internet workload, this works fantastic as the GPU stays well under 50 degrees and the GPU-fan stays OFF -> very low noise (AIO pump is set (=voltage reduced) to a point where it almost can't be heard at a distance of about 0,5-0,8m)

After stress-testing the system (Prime95 + Furmark) for a minimum of 30min I noted the following:

• noise was acceptable (maybe I can do some rough measurement with my phone after everything is set up)
• fanspeed AIO ~60% | GPU ~55%
• temperature CPU ~65°C | GPU ~65°C

But there has come a BUT with this setup:
I am working with "SpeedFan" and naturally all my fancurves are set to higher fanspeed at rising temps. In this specific scenario it resulted in higher noise AND higher temperatures! As the GPU fan starts spinning it's airflow is working against the one of the Noctua A9.
Within SpeedFan it is not possible to set a degrading fancurve (wich is obviously totally counterintuitive anyway!) and was confirmed by the developer (very fast email response btw )
The readings above already show the optimized situation - The Noctua A9 simply set at a fixed speed of around 13%.
While these numbers are just results of the "prove of concept"-run (e.g. Noctua A4 exhaust NOT installed!), more testing and optimization will be done in its final form