new to the scene...

[skool h8r]

hi all,
I'm new to the whole modding scene and i'm just wondering how i can get that wow factor on my mod. My current spec is:

1.4 Ghz AMD Athlon
SiS 300/305 graphics
C-media audio
Black Orb case
DVD drive
CD-writer

Currently no 'personal modding' by me (looks ok but it's how i got it). I'm currently looking into new fans, lights, etc. just basic stuff at the moment and not performance. Anyone know any budget components that would make my mod go from good to great?

[fantomfreq]

Personally, I'm partial to lighting. It's easy as heck to rig up, too. The cheapest and easiest lighting mods (IMO) are:

A nice bright cold cathode kit,
Some bright EL Wire (it's easily attached with epoxy or super glue)
and fans with LEDs on them..

Make sure you look around a little bit and find the best prices. Also, there are pictures of modded cases all over the internet. Check some out before you screw with your case for best results. Good luck!

[skool h8r]

hi,
thanks for the tips, i like the cold cathode lights, i've got 1 strip of blue LED's that are starting to wear out, 1 of them's already gone altogether. I'm going for some UV lights (sunbeamtech laser LED). As i'm on a £16 limit ATM, i can't get too much. I should have checked out the site you gave me, $4.99 (about £2.50) for a uv light strip. it cost me £2.45 for the small laser. I think i wil order from Xoxide next time. I live in the UK btw.

[Razorfish]

Make sure you get all your cables neat, you can do this by using some sort of cable management like spiral wrap or heat shrink. Get your self some rounded IDE cables as they always look the part. If you do both successfully youll probably notice lower system temps as youll be improving airflow around your case. You may even be able to overclock a little.

[skool h8r]

hmmm, i'll think about it but i ain't got nothing to spend ATM. I'm going for looks first then i'm going to improve on performance with new graphix and other stuff. My theme this year is UV with silver and blue. I'm not going for a top blow hole as i don't want to go cutting my case up. I'm thinking of another rear fan on the outside of the case, just need something to secure it inside the case and some more screws for the grill.

[skool h8r]

Once i finished rigging this up, i'm going to have 8 fans in total, 2 under my hard drives, 2 pci exhaust fans, 1 on the CPU (naturally), one on the side of the case (the aero blower fan), one at the back fan hole and one on the PSU (of course).I'm only running 1.4Ghz Atlon and a SiS 300/305 graphix. I'm also going for some memory light mods (work as heat spreaders as well).I'll be upgrading my CPU eventually, and the graphix card, and a new stick of memory (i only have 256MB ATM) so i want more so i can run good games like halo 1 and 2.I should get the parts i ordered by tommorow, hopefully.

[chrisbard]

Hey, how is your graphic card performing in 3dMark 2001? I heard about it but never get the chance to test it.

[skool h8r]

have you seen the size of the download! 41.7Mb and i'm on 56K (which gets disconnected automatically every 2 hours by my ISP).Anyway, when i tried Halo 1, i got an error saying that there were problems between my graphics card and the game so it's a bit crap.I've fitted the parts and it's all nice and cool now. The UV light doesn't show up too good in my case because of the blue lights but if i disconnect them, it's too dark so i'm going to get some UV cold cathodes or UV LED's next time i order as well as some other stuff. Cable tidy kits will be top of the list. I am planning to get the following next time:

Akasa Cable Tidy Kit
Vantec Slot Protector Kit - Blue
Akasa Hard Disk Cooler - Blue
System Exhaust Blower
Uv Acrylic Fan Grill - Radiation
Thermaltake Truelight LED Memory Heat Spreader
Some 'frosted glass' sheets

I'm getting the frosted glass sheets so i can stick them to my windows panel (because it is a dodgy shape), it's the stuff that you just remove the backing from and stick on, like they use on some windows. I'm using that to make some small shapes for each panel, there are 8 panels, in a starburst effect coming straight from the windows. I'm also planning on getting some UV spraypaint so i can stencil some designs on.Like i said, the most important things for me to get are cable tidy kits, the memory mod and UV light kit. After that is the UV paint, frosted glass sheets and getting some stencils made. Then the rest of the stuff i mentioned above, which i may not get all of them, possibly just quieter fans.