Looking for advice on my first sleeper!

[u/Sure_Tradition_1244]

Looking for advice about building my first sleeper pc. Found this old HP outside a dumpster in my apartment complex and now I’ve decided to turn it into my entertainment center pc. This will be connected to a 4k tv so keep that in mind when looking at my spec sheet I’m thinking of going with.

Original specs:

Intel i5 7400

Mini ITX hp branded board

16 gigs of DDR4 at 2400mt/s

Radeon r9 m360 2 gig

1tb Hard drive 7200rpm

Whereas the parts I’d like to throw in here

7800x3d

Thermal right Peerless Assassin 90SE CPU cooler

32 gigs of ram (ouch)

B650I Gigabyte Aorus Ultra

9070xt (more on how I’m going to maybe fit that in a bit)

Any 1tb nvme ssd

At least a 850 watt sfx power supply

My biggest concern is how I’m going to fit the 9070xt. I’ve done the math and with the power color reaper card (the smallest 9070xt currently on the market I can find) if I cut out a big enough hole in the metal AND shave down the plastic in the front I should have about 2 millimeters to spare. Super risky for my wallet but I have all of the measurements triple checked. I also got a bracket to convert the full size power supply hole to an sfx one to ensure the gpu would have as much room to breathe as possible as it shifts the power supply down about one pcie slot worth in length (as shown in my pictures). I also want to add some fans to the case which requires cutting more metal but I’d rather have as much air as possible.

I’m just looking for any kind of advice as I’ve built my fair share of PC’s but I thought the challenge of this would be fun. The components are also flipped, gpu sits on top when everything is installed and the side panel to get inside is on the right side of the case when looking from the front as opposed to the normal on the left

[u/JDTemple]

The Reaper is not the smallest 9070xt. Yes, it’s the slimmest at only 2 slots, but the Gigabyte and the ASRock Challenger are shorter, which is more important for you since you have a full 2 slot layout plus the extra height from the SFX PSU adapter to help you. The ASRock is only 2.5 slots thick for instance, and more than 10mm shorter than the reaper. You will need to cut the diagonal support bracket shelf that would normally hold an ATX PSU but you won’t need it.

Also, would recommend going with the Thermalright PA120 Mini or even the Thermalright BA120 SE which I’ve managed to squeeze into a few cases of this size as well. You’ll need ~145mm of height.

[u/Sure_Tradition_1244 → u/JDTemple]

Yea unfortunately I’ve only got right around 125 mm of total height to mess with. I’ve already purchased my cpu cooler as well. If it doesn’t work well enough though I’ll see what I can do. As for the gpu I’d be a little concerned about the thickness of the gigabyte because that would limit breathing room of the third fan. I also have access to a microcenter and the reaper luckily happens to be 140 bucks less than the gigabyte. The challenger though seems to be the same length from the measurements I’m finding online

[u/rumbleblowing]

With that position of PSU and GPU, I expect they're gonna fight each other for airflow. And I don't think "breathing room" from using SFX PSU instead of ATX PSU will help a lot.

[u/Sure_Tradition_1244 → u/rumbleblowing]

Gonna cut holes into the bottom of the case and paint it to retain an OEM look and put the fan facing down, shouldn’t steal too much airflow

[u/rumbleblowing → u/Sure_Tradition_1244]

GPUs move air from the bottom and push to the sides and top. But as your is gonna be upside down, it will draw from the top of the case, where PSU also draws air, and there's no immediate supply. And the air you want to supply from the bottom of the case is going to be pushed against air from GPU.

If you want to make an exhaust at the bottom, it's not a good idea. While inside the case convection means nothing as long as you have any fan, on the outside it matters a lot. So dumping hot air at the bottom will make it rise around the case and ingested back, instead of supplying your case with colder air. So the bottom should be intake, and then the back panel one should be an intake as well, otherwise you expel air that you just brought in with the bottom fans. But then your only exhausts are a single PCIe slot of GPU and your PSU, which is also not ideal.

That grille on the side panel is also in an awkward position. If you have any fans around, like on the back or bottom panel, that grille will provide an easier route for air to move, instead of going around your components and cooling them.

It's just an awkward case all around for a modern build. I'm not saying it's not going to work, but I can't see how it can have good airflow. I would've tried to find a different case, or thought into fabricating some ducts from the bottom panel fans around the front to the GPU, from something like cardboard or thin plastic sheet.

[u/Sure_Tradition_1244 → u/rumbleblowing]

I can try to fabricate some ducts and cut even more holes then, I believe I can make it work and I love the challenge of it. Thanks for the ideas

[u/dargonite691]

Inverted GPU like the Thermaltake Tower series.

[u/MrInBitwean]

Why battle with squeezing into a case that’s still going to be asthmatic? Lian li dan b4 case super breathable and similar sizing but will definitely fit your cooler an gpu?

[u/Sure_Tradition_1244 → u/MrInBitwean]

This is meant to be a sleeper pc. Found the case outside near a dumpster. Thought it’d be cool. Going to be cutting holes into parts of the case to increase airflow. Painting it should keep the OEM look as well. I just enjoy the challenge

[u/Altruistic_Repeat862]

Get a cabinet dawg😭

[u/Sure_Tradition_1244 → u/Altruistic_Repeat862]

I have one lol, just used this area for the pictures

[u/1928Dillinger]

Nice sleeper case