Cube with Core i7 and dedicated GPU?

[rossi1959]

Rossi, I wish I had read your RED post before playing with PSUs for my Mac Pro build. I got juiced two times - because I wasn't smart enough to stop after the first time. Just because you plug it in and don't hear a sound, doesn't mean that thing isn't cooking.

Hi spence4,*
** * * * * * * *Yes it is certainly the silent killer, and is like handling a loaded gun with no safety and one mistake can be fatal.
Insulating the high voltage from any metal parts is critical as is the earth so it can carry any residual current away back to earth and*hopefully*throw out the circuit breaker.
I am glad you only got a zap and are still hear to tell your story, I *also respect your honesty in admitting your mistake and putting it in this post so as to warn other modder's as to it's danger.

Cheer's
Rossi.

Posted from my G4 Cube running Mac 10.4.11

 

[spence4]

Hey Rossi,

I have no problem admitting I'm a moron. Especially when it happened twice.

 

[minihack]

Are there any other mini ITX boards with a compatible WiFi module built in, that you can recommend?

I'd say go for the board you want and then swap out any non-compatible wifi module. The Zotac I have had a non-compatible one anyway (it seems they vary the module in different territories!) but it is easy enough to replace cheaply. My replacement cost less than £10 and was plug and play.

So if you like the gigabyte board but it has a non compatible card that should not stop you....

 

[rossi1959]

I'd say go for the board you want and then swap out any non-compatible wifi module. The Zotac I have had a non-compatible one anyway (it seems they vary the module in different territories!) but it is easy enough to replace cheaply. My replacement cost less than £10 and was plug and play.

So if you like the gigabyte board but it has a non compatible card that should not stop you....

I'll second that minihack, I have the GA-Z77 and the atheros 9280 wifi module installed and it works with Mountain Lion out of the box.

 

[NervousTitan]

Woah, excellent! Thanks guys! I didn't realise that the wifi module was replaceable.
What kind of connector is it anyway?

 

[minihack]

All those wifi cards are Mini-PCIe (half size on many boards). You can find loads of info on compatibility on the forum but the Atheros card Rossi mentioned is a great choice. They are incredibly easy to swap out and if you want you can sell your original to make up for the cost of the replacement.

 

[NervousTitan]

Yes I read about the WiFi modules, but I thought I'd need to sacrifice my PCIe slot which I wanted to use for the GPU.
But actually boards like the Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WiFi come with a second, mini-PCIe slot that houses the WiFi module then, it seems. Very useful!

 

[minihack]

Yes, and some also have an extra slot for an mSata card.

 

[NervousTitan]

So here's a little update.

For designing a new bottom plate to use for 3d printing I initially wanted to use Cinema 4D as a modelling tool, since I have experience with it. However, I quickly found out that it's quite difficult to use when you want to be very exact. So, having always had an interest in CAD software, mainly AutoCAD, I decided to give that a try. After some tutorials I quickly got up to speed with it and now have a first 2d draft of the bottom plate.

The holes for the I/O ports are based on the Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WiFi motherboard, with the two WiFi antenna-ports replaced by a Power Connector for a picoPSU. I intend to use internal WiFi antenna's, placed at the same positions as the original Cube's antenna's.

I'm somewhat disappointed by the choice and arrangements of the I/O ports on the GA-Z77N. There are actually many things on there that I personally really don't need. E.g.: the PS/2 connector, Dual HDMI, Dual Ethernet (why?), and many audio ports (I can see there being a demand for this, personally I would never need it). I'm missing FireWire and/or Thunderbolt, and/or MiniDisplay.

The GA-Z77N's port arrangement also takes up quite a lot of space in terms of height, which means there is less space available for cooling holes, than I'd ideally see. This made me think that it'd be great if these ports could be modified/altered, though I suspect that is not an easy job, if possible at all. Still, I couldn't help myself in drafting a design for a more ideal I/O port layout.

 

[spence4]

Looks good. Not sure if you are already committed to the Gigabyte mobo but if you are not the Intel DQ77KB is a thin ITX board that has ports more like your ideal drawing. Similarly Gigabyte has two thin ITX boards, an H77 and a B75, if you are a brand loyalist. Any chance you can PM the actual AUTOCAD drawings? I would imagine they are beyond the size limits for posts, but would be really helpful in my 3D printing adventure. Thanks.