Upgrading on the cheap

[bole2cant]

Can you take an old AT mini-case and put in an ATX mobo and power supply? Will
everything fit/line-up properly? Or should I just send it to the landfill?

 

[Brigitte J.]

Can you take an old AT mini-case and put in an ATX mobo and power supply? Will
everything fit/line-up properly? Or should I just send it to the landfill?

An ATX motherboard wouldn't fit in the old AT mini tower that I had.

Brigitte

 

[philo]

Can you take an old AT mini-case and put in an ATX mobo and power supply? Will
everything fit/line-up properly? Or should I just send it to the landfill?

usually not unless you use a hack saw...
considering that you can buy a new case for $15 or so...it's not worth it

 

[DaveW]

No you cannot. They are built to entirely different specs.

 

[John]

usually not unless you use a hack saw...
considering that you can buy a new case for $15 or so...it's not worth it

Yeah even if you bought a case you could do it on the cheap and with
way less headaches , hassles.

 

[philo]

Yeah even if you bought a case you could do it on the cheap and with
way less headaches , hassles.

of course...even though it's not worth it...
it *can* be done. i had a really cool case that i wanted to use...
so i took a sawzall and did it.
here's a link that i've posted before:
http://www.plazaearth.com/philo/gateway.jpg

the two cases were identical gateway's
the one on the left was modified to use an ATX board

 

[John]

of course...even though it's not worth it...
it *can* be done. i had a really cool case that i wanted to use...
so i took a sawzall and did it.
here's a link that i've posted before:
http://www.plazaearth.com/philo/gateway.jpg

the two cases were identical gateway's
the one on the left was modified to use an ATX board

Wow you must have been desperate. I thought about it when cases were
ridiculously expensive here and we had to switch from AT to ATX. My AT
Enlight case was $140 then believe it or not. Just a plain case. Now
they are much cheaper but I just read FRYs in San Diego ( a well known
PC store that was started I think Silicon Valley but only has a few
large stores nationwide) had cases for $5 after rebate with 300 watt
PSes !

Im envious though they were obviously not the greatest cases in the
world or PSes.

Frys seems like the only holdover from the really fabulous rebate and
deep discount deals from the last 5 years. Most stores seems to be
cutting way back.

 

[kony]

Wow you must have been desperate.

Look at the size of the cases though, for a FULL tower with thick metal
you're typically looking at $100+ w/o power supply.

I thought about it when cases were
ridiculously expensive here and we had to switch from AT to ATX. My AT
Enlight case was $140 then believe it or not. Just a plain case. Now
they are much cheaper but I just read FRYs in San Diego ( a well known
PC store that was started I think Silicon Valley but only has a few
large stores nationwide) had cases for $5 after rebate with 300 watt
PSes !

I have a couple 72nn series Enlights and was very disappointed when they
dropped the metal thickness from 1.0 to 0.8 mm. It's getting harder to
find decent "plain" cases these days. It's not that I mind grey or black
but I have accumulated stacks of optical drives/etc in off-white, the
effort to paint them or hunt down faceplates is hardly worthwhile when the
goal is just a 2nd/3rd/4th/etc PC, not a showboat system.

Im envious though they were obviously not the greatest cases in the
world or PSes.

Frys seems like the only holdover from the really fabulous rebate and
deep discount deals from the last 5 years. Most stores seems to be
cutting way back.

I keep thinking that the days of the cheap cases are coming to an end, at
least if the system is to be well designed. It used to be that it was
just a flimsy case, but these days with systems using ever-increasing
amounts of power, converted to heat, the cheap cases often take so much
work to bring up to a decent standard that the savings isn't worth it,
especially if you need to add or replace fans, do voltage mods or whatever
to make the noise level tolerable. I'd rather they took the cost of the
PSU and put that towards thicker metal and redesigning to include optimal
fan mounts.

 

[John]

I keep thinking that the days of the cheap cases are coming to an end, at
least if the system is to be well designed.

I keep thinking its the end anyway . You keep reading about inflation
in China and how their rapidbly expanding manufacturing base is
finally having an impact on scrap metal and other raw material prices.
Everyones talking about mild inflationary trends.

Yeah I know what you are talking about though with the Athlon 64 and
new pents about to hit the mainstream. I dont really see them being
crammed in super cheapo cases along with possibly even faster sata HDs
and graphics cards on stereoids like the nvidia 6800 etc.

It used to be that it was
just a flimsy case, but these days with systems using ever-increasing
amounts of power, converted to heat, the cheap cases often take so much
work to bring up to a decent standard that the savings isn't worth it,
especially if you need to add or replace fans, do voltage mods or whatever
to make the noise level tolerable. I'd rather they took the cost of the
PSU and put that towards thicker metal and redesigning to include optimal
fan mounts.

Yeah I agree with that for my personal system. I think my fuill tower
antec was a good investment not just for show though I have to admit I
used to laugh at people buying cases with windows and lights etc but
for some strange reason Im glad I got one with a window. Doesnt do
anything functional but I like it.

You really need a lot of fan mounts nowadays and Im sticking with a
full tower. The newer cases now all seem to have one fan mount in the
rerar and many have two now - besides the PS one of course.

Man I redid this guys PC and he gave me an extra case to make a system
for another neighbor ( poor single mother family) - that thing weighs
a TON. I dont even like carrying the panels on them. They feel like
armor.

Those FRYs posts are tearing me up ! Reading about people getting a
motherboard and CPU 2000+ for $59 or so. Over here you see CPUs and
Motherboards costing 200-300 easy in combos for the same low end
stuff. Thats why its worth it to pay the 20-30 shipping fees. I should
have gone for the MWAVE combo deal though I wasnt crazy about the
SOYO all in one MB with only 3 PCI slots. and savage graphics chip or
maybe it was unichrome. My neighbor needs one of those cheap
integrated MBs.