Thermaltake Core P3 – A Different Kind of Build

[David Deyarmin]

used to build computers in the 90s but then work got in the way so from the early 2000s til just recently I bought off the shelf units for productivity work and some light gaming.


When my most recent HP AOI died and I bought a simple economy gaming computer to replace it but I had to migrate the guts over to a slim line mid case which meant I had to do some research and I discovered a whole new world of case modding, which reignited my desire to build.


After looking at builds all over the net I decided I wanted to do something different.


A lot of builds concentrate on the cooling system or some extravagant themed case.


I wanted to showcase the actual hardware and I wanted to do it in a balanced minimalist way with the MB and GPU on the front and the power supply and liquid cooling system on the back



I started with a Thermaltake Core P3 Chassis

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To make this work I had to rotate the chassis 90 degrees and use the back as the front which required a lot of internal and external modifications to the metal chassis

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http://s131.photobucket.com/user/BobaDebt/media/Computers/Core P3 003_zpsttkukeow.jpg.html

This included removing most of the original front panel, relocating all of the internal brackets and filling a lot of holes.

I also had to add the mounting holes for the MD stand offs and several pass through slots for the wiring.

The chassis mods are about 90% done and should be ready for paint by the middle of the week.​

Final Assembly has begun

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http://s131.photobucket.com/user/BobaDebt/media/Computers/Core P3 003_zpsttkukeow.jpg.html

 

[David Deyarmin]

Reserved for Final Pics

 

[David Deyarmin]

Everything went together as planned and the layout works for me, I’ll start the painting process tomorrow

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[David Deyarmin]

I guess no one knows what to say about this

 

[Spaceninja]

It does look better that way. I've never cared for the way the PCI-e cards are mounted in that case. Clean mod, I like it.

 

[David Deyarmin]

Because of the radical placement of the power supply relative to the mother board I need to shorten one of my power supply harnesses

I was able to route the ATX and VGA power harnesses without modification but I had to shorten the Mother Board Harness

All of my cables will be hidden so there was no reason to order a custom shortened harness so I ordered the tools and supplies to do it myself.

Here are some videos that describe the process

 

[David Deyarmin]

I worked on the extra illuminated IO cover for the right side this week end


Due to the different orientation I had to de-solder the factory wire that connected both covers and then solder a new longer wire in it’s place


You can also see the 3-D printed bracket parts required to make it work with the right side of the mother board


I still need to solder a jumper wire to the left cover so I can connect them in parallel that way they will be have equal illumination.

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[David Deyarmin]

I finished the first stage of my build

I’m still waiting on the 3.5” monitor for the PCI-E Slot Area and I have to fabricate a fan mount for the top but it is far enough along that I can mount it in my cabinet and make it my primary computer

Here are some other assembly pictures

 

[Archaea]

That turned out well. I couldn’t see the vision at first - but I like the final product.

 

[David Deyarmin]

Thanks

Some pics with the 3.5" monitor mounted to the MB

 

[spugm1r3]

While I love the idea of the monitor (I'm assuming for temps/voltages), I think the monitor glow detracts from the finished product. You have some really excellent balance with the lighting, and I love that you showcased the components, but I'm not in love with the monitor (at least, not in photos).

Cheers on the novel build!

 

[AwakenedBeing]

Great work on the build!