Shuttle XPC Mod for High-End Video cards = A MUST

J

Jewball

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 7, 2005
Messages
289
Hey guys, some of you may have seen my previous version of this mod in the FS/T forum recently. However, I wanted to make sure that any of you guys that have a G chassis XPC and a high-end video card saw this...

You can see the specs of this system in my sig (the first one). I put a ATi Silencer4 on my X800XT and cut the side of the case just around the housing of the Silencer. This mod was one of the best I have ever done from a functionality standpoint. You can see that not only does it keep cool by bringing in cool air from the side, it actually doesn't put any hot air into the case (see last pic), it vents it out the side/back. As you know, with a SFF system this is very important when you have a lot of the newest/hottest high-end stuff. My OC'd FX-55 never gets above 51C even under heavy load. While I have the fan set to MID to acheive this, also keep in mind that I have TWO 10K Raptors in there heating things up as well...

I used an old, beat-up dremel for this mod. It wasn't easy...but the result was well worth it. The ATi Tool feature that automatically finds the max core/mem speeds put it at 567/560. This is a nice bump from the stock 500/500. My 3DMark05 score with this system is ~6450. Not bad for a SFF!

I have also tested this same exact cut-out with a 6800GT and a NVSilencer5 and it fits the same and works just as well...what do you think?





 
When I was thinking about getting a Shuttle, this was the biggest beef was my NV5 for my 6800GT couldn't fit. When I plugged into the AGP slot, the exhaust tip was going against the case make it VERY tight to the point where even I cut the case siding, it wouldn't go on. How did you cut the side panel so you could take it on and off?

Im building a new case project now "Night Wind" with a Antec Sonata and im very happy with it, doubt i'll ever go to a Shuttle but kick ass job bud
 
n64man120 said:
sweet mod! ;)
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IceWind said:
...kick ass job bud
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Thanks guys.


IceWind said:
How did you cut the side panel so you could take it on and off?
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I know what you mean. The lip on the bottom part of the case cover that catches the chassis to make it fit tight gave me some trouble. Because I made the cut-out so tight to the heatsink/fan housing, there was no way to put the case cover on with the video card installed and make the lip catch. So actually had to cut the that lip off and shave it down. To make it fit tight to the chassis I had to drill a new hole for the third thumb screw that holds the case cover on. (you can see the hole i drilled in the third pic). Getting the case cover on/off is tricky, but if you put the top and other side on first, you can sort of work the cut side around the heatsink/fan housing. It works fairly well this way. Also, I don't know if I am the first person to do a mod like this on a Shuttle, as I have never seen it done. I think this is an original post, but if I wrong, sorry...
 
I've seen it before on SN45G with Silencer VGA. I might find pic.

I was thinking about it though I need my SN95G5 to be transsportable and I don't want that hits on My Shuttle bag rsult in HSF hitting My GPU.


It looks very good though. Nice job. Just paint the edge to be black





MD
 
Jewball said:
Why? Even if you screw it up, they are fairly cheap and easy to replace...
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If I needed a cooler like that, I would get a P Series shuttle first.
 
You only cut the side panel right? There is no modding done to the back of the chasis is there (except for the screw hole )?
 
Shainz said:
If I needed a cooler like that, I would get a P Series shuttle first.
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True, you could, but you still have the issue that the air the Silencer takes in is going to be hot already. Or at the very least significantly higher than room temp.

vage said:
You only cut the side panel right? There is no modding done to the back of the chasis is there (except for the screw hole )?
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Well, actually now that I think about it, I did have to bend part of the chassis back. In the last pic you can see that the tip of the fan housing (where the hot air is blown out) was just a little too tight against the chassis. It seemed to work okay, but I was afraid that it may be pulling on the fan housing enough to reduce the contact between the heatsink and the core/memory. So, I just used my thumbs to bend that part of the chassis in. I am only talking milimeters here, so it was nothing drastic.
 
Looks good. Now all you need to do is use some mold trim around he edges to give it a finished look.

-E
 
MrE said:
Looks good. Now all you need to do is use some mold trim around he edges to give it a finished look.

-E
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Yeah, I thought about doing that, or what MD suggested and painting the edge black. Although the trim you would look good, it won't fit. The cut-out is so tight to the fan housing that I wouldn't be able to do this w/o further modification. I don't know, maybe I will rework it a little....if I do I will post pics.


Othersider said:
Any thoughts on guarding the fan, or just planning on not hitting it?
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lol, the orignal plan was to just not hit it, but I have done that several times. I would suggest to anyone who tries this mod to put some type of fan gaurd on there. I just really like the look of the fan exposed.
 
Cool I guess, but you just made your shuttle pretty ugly by doing that. You could have just gotten the mesh cover accessory, which I did (actually borrowed it from my old SB75G2)... That way your video cards sucks in fresh air and globally the case can breath more... It was functional and it looked sexy.. I dont know, If I really felt the need to have that heatsink in a shuttle I would have just gotten a P chassis.
 
zeebs said:
You could have just gotten the mesh cover accessory, which I did (actually borrowed it from my old SB75G2)... That way your video cards sucks in fresh air and globally the case can breath more... It was functional and it looked sexy..
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Well, if I wanted the best and most widely used (by enthusiasts) third party heatsink/fan I could get, just getting the mesh panel wouldn't work. And while it may work for you with your stock HSF, you are still dumping all of that heat from the hottest component in your computer inside the case.


zeebs said:
I dont know, If I really felt the need to have that heatsink in a shuttle I would have just gotten a P chassis.
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Yeah, someone else mentioned that. But not only is the P chassis quite a bit more expensive, you are still taking hot air from inside the case and using that hot air to (or attempt to) cool your video card. And as I mentioned at the very begining, this is for all those guys that already have a G chassis ;)

This dirt cheap mod allowed me to dramatically drop temps, which in turn gave me a much better OC - on the system AND video card. And really, isn't that what it's all about? :D
 
very nice work bro, very nice!!

On the Shuttle cases, I just take out the side screens, on cases with windows on them I cut a hole or remove the plexi like I did on this one last year:

vga_hole.jpg


Your case modification is very nice. :cool:
 
there is always the water cooling option, but I like your "cut out" mod much better, it is cheaper and something everyone here can do.



sff_h202.jpg


sff_h201.jpg
 
nice work! I have the same setup but a leadtek 6800GT. I had the gpu before I bought the SN95 and didn't even factor that in I was so goo goo over getting one I guess :eek: ...I bought the SN95 the second they were available cause I lan alot and it only makes sense with that output. needing the case on I just attacked it with the dremmel and made it fit. and I'm not sure if I'd spend the extra $$$ for another fan anyway. the leadtek hsf is tough and I don't have to baby it packing it around so much too. getting the case on it is a wee tricky though. I should add the top fan as well but its never crashed with anything I've thrown at it so I haven't.
...it was made for practicality not bling
SN95G5_01.jpg


edited to add pic
 
Shainz said:
Its nice, but I wouldnt do that to my cover.
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That's why you don't have a wicked looking case!!! This is one hella-cool mod both literally and figuratively.
 
Awesome job man! That is one of the reasons why I wouldn't get a Shuttle but you overcame that obsticle. :)
 
SWEET!!!

And I thought my pimped shuttle had a cool intake mod.
sideshot.jpg


What's been holding me back from going to a shuttle on my main PC was that my 6800GT wouldnt fit. But I guess I can MAKE it fit! Now, you're tempting me to do it. And I've been trying to convince myself to hold off until there's a 955 or Nforce4 Shuttle case for an 800 series Intel CPU.
 
very nice. you put that deal on the top too,right. It also looks like you had to cut a little out of the back where the GPU slides in,right? Really slick,I have a G5 that barely holds a 6600gt and have wished for a way to put in a 6800gt now I know. How loud is the silencer? very cool job! :cool:
 
magoo said:
How loud is the silencer? very cool job! :cool:
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Umm Silent? Maybe. I have heard that these run quieter than the stock and drop anywhere from 3 to 8 degrees C.
 
Steve said:
very nice work bro, very nice!!

On the Shuttle cases, I just take out the side screens, on cases with windows on them I cut a hole or remove the plexi
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Nice stuff, I really wanted to try some watercooling (sweet by the way) as well, but I take my computer from work to home 5 nights a week so I really needed to maintain the portability of the SFF system. But your pic has got me really thinking.....mmmm....watercooling.....


codysown said:
I have heard that these run quieter than the stock and drop anywhere from 3 to 8 degrees C.
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That sums it up about right. I have seen drops in temp more than that though, but it all depends on what you are working with.






Thanks for all the compliments from everyone. :D
 
Sorry but I think that is one of the best mods I've ever seen on a shuttle, effective and looks good.

To the people talking shit, stfu.

Nice job !!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I really like the way that your mod turned out. Looks pretty dam tight if you ask me, and in fact I am thinking of doing a mod like that myself to get some non stock cooling on my 6800GT. Before I do though I want to know if you are still able to get it to fit in the shuttle bag?

P.S. Oh yeh I also modded the stock ice cooling unit on my shuttle by replacing the stock fan with a Vantec Tornado case fan. Also to keep the noise down I added a fan speed controller so I can regulate how much air it's pushing/noise it's generating/how much cooling is needed. I still have yet to take pictures of my mod, but I'm going to do that soon and post em when I do.
 
It looks awesome.

You did a great job with the mod. It looks clean and professional. Great job :)
 
nice mod. looks nice to me =)
i didn't get a shuttle cause i wanted a nv silencer 5 but i never modded a case before.

maybe next computer i get in a few years...
 
ReVRiN said:
That's why you don't have a wicked looking case!!! This is one hella-cool mod both literally and figuratively.
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It would be more "wicked looking" if the cooler itself was painted black. Do you even own a shuttle?
 
nice job on the xpc mod man :D , man i will definitely think about doing something similar when i put my radeon 9800 pro from my main system into my ss56g. you could even do something similar with a massive passive heatsink (which im all about) if you didnt want the loud, exposed fan on the silencer. painting the hs the color of the case would be cool....hrm good idea that i shall try.......
 
|NOLAFF|-JD said:
Before I do though I want to know if you are still able to get it to fit in the shuttle bag?
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Don't know, never used the Shuttle bag. I do really want to put some handles on it or something...you guys have any suggestions?

|NOLAFF|-JD said:
I still have yet to take pictures of my mod, but I'm going to do that soon and post em when I do.
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Send me the link when you do!
 
Yaka said:
blimey that is one classy mod

how did you exactly mmesure it out?
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GT2k said:
Yea I want to know to, I need to do it to my Shuttle.
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I traced the fan housing onto cardboard paper and just used that cut-out to trace it onto the case cover. To know where to put the cut-out on the case cover, I simply measured from the bottom of the chassis to the bottom of the fan housing with the video card installed in the system (the case cover was removed obviously). To do the tracing on the case cover itself, I used liquid white-out. Now, I know that sounds crazy, but I was using what was at my disposal at 3:00am that morning. Also, with the case being black so your standard writing utensils wouldn't work. Not only that, but the white-out came off the case easily, if I had used a colored marker or something I may have stained the case. Even with all this it was still a relatively easy mod, and I am sure there are even easier ways to do it than what I came up with. Like I said, I just used what I had available.
 
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