Pio's new (lol) projects

[pio]

Little update:
Sorry guys its been slow.  I've had three motherboards come in DOA now for this project lol.  Love fighting with ebay.

Got a 990FX Sabertooth and FX8350 on the way, hoping to arrive sometime this week.  That setup will be paired temporarily with an RX 580 8GB, but I intend to find a R9 290x for it.  Already got most of the rig here since its replacing a dead LGA 2011 server setup anyway.

[pio]

Well, my Phenom rig is now 100% complete.  Here's the specs and a few pictures.

Asus M4A79 Deluxe
Phenom 9850 @ 3.0GHz
TRUE 120mm CPU cooler
8GB (4x2GB) DDR2-1066 @ 833, 5-5-5-15
Seasonic M12II 520w
Sapphire HD6970

TP Link Wireless N Card (for older OS's)
DIYPC case of some flavor / cheapie
Iomega ZIP250 ATAPI drive
Lite On DVDRW SATA drive
Crucial BX500 240GB SSD
White Label 2TB 7200RPM SATA HDD

 

I have a whole lot of other stuff going on too.  I'm about 99% done with my FX build.  I'm about 75% done with my Thuban build.  I have everything here for my 939 build minus the power and reset buttons (doing a custom case on that one).  I have a second 939 build by accident (whoops) that's like 50% complete parts list.  I have 2 Ryzen rigs of course.  I need some high end GPU's but those are too spendy of course still.

Oh, and I also ordered a Chieftec Dragon!!!!   That bad boy is going to house my Socket A Windows 98SE rig (I have plans for 2 Socket A rigs, and eventually a Socket 7).

Sorry for the delay on updates, the site's been dead for me / couldn't connect....and well, I've been busy scouring ebay for deals.  I have every GPU I wanted either here or on its way (again short of modern high end cards starting after RX580).

EDIT:
The NZXT Source 210 that this rig WAS installed in previously is getting modded for the 939 build.  So that's why I changed cases on the Phenom.  I also figured out my GPU setups I wanted to use on these all so they'd make sense, so that's why I changed from a 4890 to the 6970 in here.  This Phenom rig can play 99% of the games I play anyway still, even at 3840x1080 (it won't do native 5120x1440 for me).  Honestly, I've been pretty impressed with its performance for its age.  But yeah, I changed a few plans up to save myself from having to buy all new everything since I had some junk laying around already.

Edited July 20, 2021 by pioneerisloud

[ENTERPRISE]

11 hours ago, pioneerisloud said:

Well, my Phenom rig is now 100% complete.  Here's the specs and a few pictures.

Asus M4A79 Deluxe
Phenom 9850 @ 3.0GHz
TRUE 120mm CPU cooler
8GB (4x2GB) DDR2-1066 @ 960, 5-5-5-15
Seasonic M12II 520w
Sapphire HD6970

TP Link Wireless N Card (for older OS's)
DIYPC case of some flavor / cheapie
Iomega ZIP250 ATAPI drive
Lite On DVDRW SATA drive
Crucial BX500 240GB SSD
White Label 2TB 7200RPM SATA HDD

 

I have a whole lot of other stuff going on too.  I'm about 99% done with my FX build.  I'm about 75% done with my Thuban build.  I have everything here for my 939 build minus the power and reset buttons (doing a custom case on that one).  I have a second 939 build by accident (whoops) that's like 50% complete parts list.  I have 2 Ryzen rigs of course.  I need some high end GPU's but those are too spendy of course still.

Oh, and I also ordered a Chieftec Dragon!!!!   That bad boy is going to house my Socket A Windows 98SE rig (I have plans for 2 Socket A rigs, and eventually a Socket 7).

Sorry for the delay on updates, the site's been dead for me / couldn't connect....and well, I've been busy scouring ebay for deals.  I have every GPU I wanted either here or on its way (again short of modern high end cards starting after RX580).

EDIT:
The NZXT Source 210 that this rig WAS installed in previously is getting modded for the 939 build.  So that's why I changed cases on the Phenom.  I also figured out my GPU setups I wanted to use on these all so they'd make sense, so that's why I changed from a 4890 to the 6970 in here.  This Phenom rig can play 99% of the games I play anyway still, even at 3840x1080 (it won't do native 5120x1440 for me).  Honestly, I've been pretty impressed with its performance for its age.  But yeah, I changed a few plans up to save myself from having to buy all new everything since I had some junk laying around already.

It is like a cool but functional museum! Love the fact that it still holds its own!

[pio]

4 hours ago, ENTERPRISE said:

It is like a cool but functional museum! Love the fact that it still holds its own!

That's kind of the point.

I have a 6 year old son who's starting to get into tech and computers.  I'd like for him to know (eventually) how computers have evolved.  My nephews are 7 and 10, and they have actually been asking me what some of this old gear is and how it works too, like the zip disks they caught me so excited about lol.  That's why I've decided to go back even older than 939, and its what I grew up playing on myself too.  I am, of course trying at the moment to see how modern I can make old junk play, but that wasn't entirely the point.  "Museum" was the point.

But yeah, I was surprised by the Phenom build.  It plays my favorite game, Beamng.drive, just fine at 3840x1080.  "Lowest" settings, but plays it smoothly, with easily an average FPS of 45-60.  My Ryzen 3600 / RX580 can barely eek out playable framerates on "Ultra" same resolution, or "Normal" at native res of my monitor (5120x1440).  Game is very very CPU heavy with lots of mods and cars spawned, and the Phenom can do the game playable.  Kind of surprised me considering the game's requirements.  I've been playing Killing Floor 2 on it too, but that's a little less surprising that it works.

[ENTERPRISE]

27 minutes ago, pioneerisloud said:

That's kind of the point.

I have a 6 year old son who's starting to get into tech and computers.  I'd like for him to know (eventually) how computers have evolved.  My nephews are 7 and 10, and they have actually been asking me what some of this old gear is and how it works too, like the zip disks they caught me so excited about lol.  That's why I've decided to go back even older than 939, and its what I grew up playing on myself too.  I am, of course trying at the moment to see how modern I can make old junk play, but that wasn't entirely the point.  "Museum" was the point.

But yeah, I was surprised by the Phenom build.  It plays my favorite game, Beamng.drive, just fine at 3840x1080.  "Lowest" settings, but plays it smoothly, with easily an average FPS of 45-60.  My Ryzen 3600 / RX580 can barely eek out playable framerates on "Ultra" same resolution, or "Normal" at native res of my monitor (5120x1440).  Game is very very CPU heavy with lots of mods and cars spawned, and the Phenom can do the game playable.  Kind of surprised me considering the game's requirements.  I've been playing Killing Floor 2 on it too, but that's a little less surprising that it works.

I think that is great. Aside from your own nostalgia, I think it is a brill insight for the up and coming generation of how computing has evolved and importantly gives them insight on how you started your journey

[GanjaSMK]

So. F-ing. Bitchin.

[pio]

5 hours ago, GanjaSMK said:

So. F-ing. Bitchin.

Just wait for the 939 build...... 

 

Going full modded case on that one.

[GanjaSMK]

You gotta show some pics n screenshots in action!  I patiently await...

[pio]

10 hours ago, GanjaSMK said:

You gotta show some pics n screenshots in action!  I patiently await...

The only one that's finished is the phenom. I'll happily boot her up tonight. What would you like to see? I've got cod4-black ops or mw3. Beamng.drive. Killing floor 2. Dirt 2-4. All benchmarks that are free of course. Ummm, rdr2 and cyberpunk but I'm pretty sure both of those complain about the 6970 not being dx12. I could toss an rx580 8gb in there to see though if needed. 

 

I'm just having fun. Was kinda shocked at how tiny 250mb is on a zip disk though. I recall fitting a heck of a lot more stuff on my zip100 disks back in the day lol. 

EDIT:
I'll go ahead and do all the bigger games that I have currently installed on it, and a run of Heaven and Valley while I'm at it.   Not going to try Cyberpunk or RDR2, not installed, never intended to install.  But I'll get Beamng, DiRT, Crysis, GTA V....you know, the basics.  Screenshots coming shortly.

Edited July 20, 2021 by pioneerisloud

[pio]

15 hours ago, GanjaSMK said:

You gotta show some pics n screenshots in action!  I patiently await...

My apologies for double posting, but this is going to be a very long one.......

Here's the progress of where I'm at so far, hardware wise.  Please excuse the bed, my bedroom is the only place I have available to store all this stuff.  Wasn't trying to bring you guys into my room...... 

Also, I went ahead and ran some games and benches on the Phenomenon.

Ryzen 2600 Rig (done short GPU):

Spoiler

This rig is SUPPOSED to be paired with an RX 5700XT.  But, well.......considering GPU prices my own rig doesn't even have a faster GPU in it as of yet.  One day there will be a 5700XT in here, one day.  Otherwise, this rig is considered as "done" with the RX 580 8GB in there.  It's more than fast enough for a 6 year old to play LEGO games on.  Don't want to hear it about the TV, I posted it once why my 70" 4k is gone, don't want to live that pain again....... 

 

FX 8350 Rig (done / GPU due this week):

Spoiler

This rig is pictured with an R9 290x Lightning.  The seller I bought it from said it worked, and well....it doesn't.  So its going back.  I have a reference Sapphire R9 290x on the way for it, should be here this week.  I'm also missing one more red LED fan, which also should be here this week.  Otherwise, this rig is considered nearly done.....it's currently sitting with the HD7970 from my collection as that just arrived so I needed to test it.  That card is for a Phenom II rig, but still....needed to test it.   Anyway, here's the FX rig as it sits as of like 2 days ago before I swapped the 290x out.

 

Now, onto the shelved goodies (very long spoiler):

Spoiler

First up here, we have a decent enough view of the entire shelves.  More stuff is coming.  I'm still short ordering 2 Socket A rigs and a Socket 7 (nearly everything).  I have 2 of the 3 old GPU's here or on the way though (see other pictures down below), and one of the cases needed on the way.  Maybe a couple drives depending on what is in the case I just bought.  Anyway, here's the picture of the whole shelf setup.... (ignore the bed, yes its torn apart for weekly cleaning).

 

Let's take a closer look at some of these goodies shall we?  I think I teased some of this stuff a while back, but here's better pictures up close to a lot of it.  First up, we have pictured MY ORIGINAL BOUGHT BRAND NEW FROM NEWEGG THAT I STILL HAVE THE RECEIPT FOR eVGA 8800GTS 512MB G92.  Spoiler alert, that was the OG part that was pictured that made its way back to me in my last giant collage picture.  My ex GF from when I was 19 (I'm 35 now) asked me to build her a new rig, she was STILL USING IT in her rig, but well, it was time to upgrade.  All I asked for the build was to have my old card back.   And I got to keep the rest of her old rig too, which mostly has burned up now.......  Not actually photographed, but in this picture (to the right) is my twin eVGA GTS 250 1GB G92 cards to eventually run SLI on a 939 rig.  Also ignore the GT310 on top of them.  It's there only because it works, and I can use it for BIOS flashing if I screw up.....

 

Next up WOULD BE a Radeon 9800XT 256MB.  It's ordered, its on its way.  But sadly it hasn't arrived yet as of today.  However, I do have this beauty that just arrived yesterday.  Sapphire X1950 PRO 512MB AGP card.  I know, I know, the X1k series were PCIe cards natively.  When I had a Socket A Athlon XP Barton rig, I wanted an X1950XT so badly for it.  Now, I'm going to make that dream happen.  When the X1k series cards were released, for PCIe you had the choice of a Pentium 4/D or the much more expensive "server" Socket 939 setup (how I remember it being called).  Socket 754 Athlon64's were a thing, but most of those were AGP boards.  Socket A AthlonXP's were still very prevalent since P4 / PD was the best Intel had to offer, so a lot of people bought these cards for those rigs.

 

Here we have the next ATI card in the lineup, the Sapphire HD2900XT 1GB.  I always wanted one of these on Socket 939, but I used my Socket 939 gear for many MANY years, so this is just one of those cards that I wanted because I wanted.  It's probably never going to be used again, but it DOES WORK.  Runs very hot, but it does play benchmarks just fine.

 

Next up on the list, next generation is the HD3870.  I think its a Sapphire, but I don't remember lol.  I've bought so darn many cards these last few months.  Anyway, just another card I wanted but never got when it was new.  Again, card has been tested.  Runs hot, but does run just fine.

 

Ahhh yes, the last card I bought for Socket 939.  Not the exact card, I had a reference XFX design that did 1GHz core.  But yeah.  Anyway, here's my HD4890 1GB.  This model is an Asus (obviously).  Was gifted to me by an old OCN friend of mine that's stayed in contact for the last 15 years.  Thank you to DesertRat!!!

 

This is the card that is GOING to be going into my Socket 939 build for the "museum" project.  Also next up in the generations.  Sapphire HD5870 1GB.  Great card.  It's being wasted in the 939, yes.  However it'll enable the 939 to run DX11 titles, so that was kind of the push to run it in there.  Also eyefinity support (you'll see why later).  Socket 939 really can't utilize much past an HD4850 / GTX 260 or so before its CPU bottlenecked.  But....also to be fair, Socket 939 = AM2 for the longest time.  So I guess its still a fair card to be installed in there.

 

HD6970 and HD7970 are both in rigs at the moment (Phenom and FX respectively).  Rest assured, they're here and work.  The HD6970 is in its forever home in the Phenom.  The 7970 as mentioned elsewhere, is being tested in the FX.  6970 is a Sapphire Vaper X just like the 5870 above, but dual fan.  The 7970 is a Gigabyte Rev 2.1 board clocked to 1GHz core factory overclocked.  Thinking about BIOS upgrading to the GHz model (1050 / 1500 over factory 1000 / 1375).   Here's the box for the R9 290x Lightning that's going back.  Thats the next card up in the generations that I have a picture for.  I've got a little extra packaging material I'll be stuffing in there, since the seller used cling wrap to package it with....

 

And finally, the RX 580 8GB.  I bought 24 of these in 2017 for a little mining project.  Man, they've paid for themselves and then some and still keep on rocking.  I have 4 cards left in my possession, they were split with a friend and some were sold.  2 Asus cards are in my Ryzen rigs, this MSI card pictured is going into a build for my sister to play games on, and the other I bricked by BIOS flash and have been too lazy to fix, also MSI.

Here's some teasers for the Socket 939 rig.  The box is just well, a box of mod parts, fans, wires, I think a floppy drive is in there?  And I have 2 boards to choose from, also pictured.  A8N32-SLI Deluxe (my favorite), which I'll probably eventually build another rig and SLI some G92's since I have 3 of those (my OG 8800 and a pair of GTS 250's).  I have 3 dual core Toledo's sitting here begging to be tortured.  And then also an A8N SLI Premium, which is the board of choice for the "museum" piece.  It's going into a fully custom modded NZXT Source 210 that's currently at the metal shop.  Also a sneak peak of the "museum" cooler for it.....  My old z68 board, delidded 3770k, and water cooler is kinda trying to photo bomb me here, ignore that......

 

 

 

 

So far for the Phenom II build I have RAM at the ready, board (ASRock 890FX Deluxe 5).  I have a Phenom II x3 720 in it right now, but I'm planning on either a 1090T or 1100T in it, depending on price at the time I buy.  I have a board, the GPU, the case, the fans.  I'm missing the CPU and drives for it, and fancy cable extensions.  That's about it.  This will likely be the next one "finished".

And finally, we have my box of various coolers (mostly junk but it works).  A couple BNIB Hyper 212's I found when cleaning, a BNIB still sealed EKWB 240, and a BNIB sealed CoolerMaster 240mm AIO (for the Thuban).  Oh, and my drives, can't forget those.  I need more obviously, especially HDD's.  That's one SATA DVDRW (Thuban), one IDE DVDRW (939), one zip drive (939), I think 4x 500GB 2.5" HDD's, a couple SSD's for the rigs I'm still building at the moment, and my precious zip disks and zip disk tower.

 

 

 

 

And now onto what we're here for....GAMES AND BENCHMARKS!!!  We'll go ahead and start off with more pictures though, because well....I took a lot for you guys. 

LADIES AND GENTS, I PRESENT PHENOMENON!:

Spoiler

So here's my current test bench area.  That my main sig rig on a 49" Viotek 5120x1440 / 120Hz screen.  SMSL DAC / Amp, Micca speakers, Philips headphones, my favorite mouse, and a decent cheapie Chinese mech keyboard.  The giant screen on the older cards, you need to use Eyefinity to get games to work properly (2x1080p).  Seems like its only the 290x and higher that support that screen natively.  I thought the 7970 would, but it doesn't for some odd reason.  Still researching that one.  This is why I'm choosing Eyefinity cards for even the Socket 939 setup.  Ease of use on my main setup if I ever want to.  Plus, well, it'd be neat to try DX11 games on a Socket 939.  This means its only going to be AGP rigs that will be forced to run on a different screen.  Phenomenon is pictured on my other monitor that I have (Hanns G cheapie 23" 1080p).

 

I've already shown these once, but threw them in because why not.  It's sexy IMO. 

 

 

 

 

 

You guys have NO IDEA how freaking satisfying this was to do and hear the drive start spinning.  I haven't heard a zip drive in 25 ish years!

And just for shiggles, I copied EVERY PICTURE IN THIS POST onto that zip disk.  This is what happened:

 

And here's proof of what's installed in it.  I have had the CPU clocked as high as 3.13GHz I believe is what it was at.  I decided to keep it at 3.0GHz for longevity sake since the higher clocks required like 1.55v to run stable.:

 

Games and benchmarks on Phenomenon:

Spoiler

Let's go ahead and start off with some benchmarks to get us going.  First up is Unigine Heaven, the older one of the Unigines I ran this evening.  Settings were at 1080p / Ultra / Normal Tesselation.  Not too bad for such an old rig if I do say so myself, and I will say that a lot. 

 

 

Next up would be Unigine Valley of course.  Settings used here was 1080p / Ultra.  I took a few extras on this one because, well, Valley is gorgeous. 

 

 

 

 

 

And I even tried to run Superposition on it.  Yes, that's right.   Settings used were 1080p / Medium on this one.  It stayed above 23 FPS the whole time which was "watchable".  I mean again, this benchmark is what, 10-11 years newer than every part in this rig?  Not too shabby IMO.

 

 

 

==============================================================================================

NOW LETS GET ONTO SOME GAMES NOW!!!!  ALL CAPS BECAUSE I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN A LOT TO GO THROUGH SO FAR.

==============================================================================================

 

First game we have on here that I figured was worth checking out is Sonic Racing All Stars Transformed.  Not sure why FRAPs calls it ASN but whatever.  Settings used on this game were 1080p / Maxed.  Been playing it just fine on my 49" as well previously using this setup at 3840x1080.  It does lug down just a little bit in the water area on this map, but not all maps have that slowdown.  Seems to be a GPU related slowdown.

 

 

 

 

Didn't stop me from placing first! 

 

==============================================================================================

Next game up is my favorite.  Beamng.drive.  I was playing this game also just fine the other day on my 49" at 3840x1080, settings today were regular 1080p / "Lowest".  Prior to today, I never tried spawning AI traffic in, and well......now I see why.  This is one instance the Phenom just can't keep up very well.  It tries though.  If you play the game with just your own vehicles spawned in the map, it plays fine.  If you want to spawn other cars in, definitely need a much stronger CPU (my Ryzen 3600 struggles).  This is what a 2013 game release give or take, and with the new updates on it....well let's just say you need a supercomputer to max it out comfortably at higher resolutions with lots of AI / Traffic.  Note the framerate, its fine just me spawned into the map.  Plays absolutely GREAT!  

 

Note the framerate as soon as I spawned traffic and tried to drive around.  Well, this is what happens with 15 FPS.

 

I even tried lowering to 720p / "Lowest", and well....it didn't help any at all on the framerate.  Unless 15 up to 17 FPS is considered an improvement.  Overall....this game is playable with just you in there, dinking around.  And that's what makes this game fun anyway.  

 

==============================================================================================

Next up is a classic from the era of this computer.  Crysis.  Settings used were native OEM game, 1080p, All "High" settings.  Keep in mind, the OG Crysis is very VERY CPU intensive and it took Wolfdale Core 2 Duos before you could fully get 100% playable settings.  This framerate is what you'd honestly expect out of even a Phenom II.  I would know, I used to play it all the time on my Phenom II and my 939 dual core.  For AMD builds, its really not much better until you get into really high clocked FX chips.  Back in the days of this game's release, this would have been considered as "playable".

 

 

==============================================================================================

DiRT 4 is the next game I tried out this evening.  Settings were 1280x720 / Ultra.  I probably could've used 1080p / Medium or High just fine, but I was curious if Ultra was possible at all on this rig because this game is so pretty.  I kinda was having too much fun blasting around Dirtfish, so my apologies for only one screenshot. 

 

==============================================================================================

Next up is one I don't really play a whole lot, or at all.  But apparently people claim you need a halfway decent rig to play it.  Elder Scrolls Online.  Settings used today were "1080p / High", however I definitely should've dropped it to whatever is below "High".  Framerate suffered into the high 20's when facing populated areas.  But definitely another title that could be made 100% playable on this old rig with halfway decent visuals.

 

 

==============================================================================================

This next game, I couldn't actually make myself play it.  Reason being, I'd have never stopped and moved onto the next game, and I would've forgotten to post this post.    GTA V, one of my all time favorite games to just fire up and goof off in.  Settings used today were very modest, and honestly I could've cranked some settings up higher.  This is at "1080p / Normal", basically bottomed out.  Definitely could've turned most of the Normal settings to "High" and been fine.  The visual sliders, probably not quite as much, but very possibly some.  Performance was absolutely great the entire time of the benchmark.  Again, only benchmarked it because otherwise I'd still be playing it.  Would've messed with the settings more, if it weren't for having to relaunch it everytime.

 

 

 

 

 

==============================================================================================
And finally, the game that took me the longest this evening because I DID get lost in it for a whole 10 round game.......Killing Floor 2.  Probably the most hours I've ever put into a game right here, between this, Beamng.drive, and maybe GTA V....but I'd say probably the most hours spent playing KF2.  Settings used during this game session was "1080p / Ultra".  Definitely could feel when it'd dip into the 30's, but it never went below 30's.  If I were to try to play competitively on THIS rig, I'd probably lower settings to 1080p / High.  But just to hop in and get a game in, Ultra was perfectly fine.

 

 

 

There's so very many games that even this old Phenom rig can play its ridiculous.  Again, i'd have tried something more "modern" like Cyberpunk or RDR2, but both of those complain about one thing or another and really aren't worth messing around with trying to force them to work.  I have newer rigs that play those games fine.  Phenomenon, is a 110% success in my eyes.  It plays more games that it could've ever dreamed of when these parts were new what nearly 12 years ago?  13?  It offers playable performance, so long as you're aware of the limitations of the CPU and GPU.  Yes, I am a gamer that is perfectly fine at 30 FPS so long as it NEVER DIPS below 30.  Competitive games like Killing Floor and COD, yeah definitely want to be closer to that 60 mark.  Every title played (just about) could be ran at 60 FPS no problem with different settings, I just prefer visuals over framerate usually.  And it has a ZIP drive and Windows 10 on it (for now), so I can get the other even older rigs working later on.  Totally a win!

Edited July 20, 2021 by pioneerisloud

[pio]

Okay, so I'm going to need some expert opinions here.  I was trying so very hard to NOT have to do plastic work, but on this case I'm just going to have to.  Take a peak at what arrived today, but sadly is broken.   Not sending it back, gonna try to fix it.  Any ideas on how to fix this, please....in detail explain!

Also, not exactly advertising.....but if anybody is confident enough in their abilities to actually fix this front panel for me, I'd happily pay somebody.  Any links or recommendations on that would also be appreciated.  This case NEEDS to be restored back to its original glory!  I mean c'mon, I have the OG box even!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And just for giggles, this GPU just arrived today.  This is the GPU I intend to put into this beast of a tower.  ATI Radeon 9800XT 256MB.  Planning on it pairing with an Athlon T-Bird 1.1GHz or so, 512MB RAM, and Win98SE.  Of course I'll also ATTEMPT to modernize it at first, maybe with a Linux flavor or something?  But that's the eventual plan for this setup.  The front panels of the case aren't a big deal as I'll be using 2x 3.5" externals and 2x5.25" externals as well.  So the messed up bay covers aren't a big deal.  Just the giant crack in the top, and the completely busted off plastic clips that hold the entire bottom assembly on.  If I can fix that somehow with magnets or something, then great!  I just need to figure out how to "build up" plastic, high enough and strong enough that it'll hold.

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by pioneerisloud

[Bastiaan_NL]

It's not easy to match the color and texture after fixing it. 
I did some plastic work years ago on one of my cases and it looked alright, but not perfect.

At least you'll need to plastic weld it on the inside, and put the panel in a clamp or something to close the crack. I'm pretty sure glue will not hold on hard plastic like that.

You will still see the crack afterwards. If there is not much texture on the panel it'll work in your favor, but looking at that last picture there is a bit of discoloring so you'll have to paint the whole panel or nothing. 

[pio]

20 minutes ago, Bastiaan_NL said:

It's not easy to match the color and texture after fixing it. 
I did some plastic work years ago on one of my cases and it looked alright, but not perfect.

At least you'll need to plastic weld it on the inside, and put the panel in a clamp or something to close the crack. I'm pretty sure glue will not hold on hard plastic like that.

You will still see the crack afterwards. If there is not much texture on the panel it'll work in your favor, but looking at that last picture there is a bit of discoloring so you'll have to paint the whole panel or nothing. 

That's exactly what I was thinking about doing.  Some sort of plastic "weld" on the inside of the crack and a clamp to hold it in place while it dries.

The bottom panel, the clips are all busted.  Was thinking of using similar plastic "weld" to build up little nubs, and put neo magnets on the nubs to act as the missing clips.

I'm aware its not going to be perfect.  Honestly, if I thought I could do a halfway decent paintjob, I'd go ahead and paint it beige to match.  But yeah, with the discoloration from being so old, I really doubt it'd look right.  It'd be the whole case or nothing.  I'm fine just repairing the crack and the missing clips and calling it a day at that really.  Just need to figure out appropriate goop to use on it.  I have my doubts on JB Weld.

Edited July 24, 2021 by pioneerisloud

[Bastiaan_NL]

Using magnets is a great idea. But maybe instead of using plastic to hold the magnet you could plastic weld in some high nuts and use a little bolt with the nut on the end to adjust it.

The best plastic welding is actually melting a bit of the original plastic while applying the new material. Maybe even heating up more than just the part you are welding to help the proces a bit. 

[pio]

49 minutes ago, Bastiaan_NL said:

Using magnets is a great idea. But maybe instead of using plastic to hold the magnet you could plastic weld in some high nuts and use a little bolt with the nut on the end to adjust it.

The best plastic welding is actually melting a bit of the original plastic while applying the new material. Maybe even heating up more than just the part you are welding to help the proces a bit. 

I did think of using nuts and bolts originally, but I just can't imagine a way that would hold them in place without drilling through the actual front of the plastic though.  Not sure.  Plastic work is all brand new to me, so got research ahead of me first.  I might just try to bust out some good ol' Bondo, like we used to see people use in the old days.  I dunno, I'm afraid to break it further.

[pio]

So uhhh, let me show you guys how to NOT ship a $200+ GPU...... -_-

Needless to say, it was promptly sent right back (well....its going back tomorrow).  I'm being nice and at least including a box.  Sooooo unamused, that's the dang SECOND 290x now that's come broken due to seller mishandling.  HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW THESE THINGS AND SELL ON EBAY?  Ugh.  /rant  Enjoy the gore on my behalf. -_-

Now I get to wait another few weeks for a refund....again, to buy yet ANOTHER 290x.  Let's see if third time's the charm this time.

And yes, its more damaged than just the bracket, there's stuff rattling around under the cooler.  It was quite literally, put into a bag, and mailed.  Probably would've been safer to mail it naked with a sticker attached to the cooler.

 

Edited July 29, 2021 by pioneerisloud

[Bastiaan_NL]

No way... That really sucks
I can imagine the anger receiving something like that, what a waste of that card!
And what on earth have they done during shipping to cause damage like that? It's not really easy to bend that bracket, must have been pretty brute force.

[damric]

Hmmm. If it otherwise works and it was a good price, I would consider keeping it. You can find new brackets for dirt cheap. Maybe the seller can even give you a partial refund if it works to go towards a bracket.

[pio]

4 hours ago, damric said:

Hmmm. If it otherwise works and it was a good price, I would consider keeping it. You can find new brackets for dirt cheap. Maybe the seller can even give you a partial refund if it works to go towards a bracket.

Normally I'd agree with you, but there's something rattling around inside the cooler too.  Not even going to try to bend it back so the seller can claim I damaged it further, nope.  I mean it was quite literally just put into a bag and mailed.  That bag is how it arrived in my mailbox.  The DVI port appears to have been pulled on pretty hard too as one of the bolts is missing (and in the bag loose), so it could be part of the DVI port rattling around inside, I dunno.

Not worth my effort to try to fix when I paid $220 and it was advertised as working, not damaged.  Dude should've put insurance on it and packaged it properly.  I paid like $20 for shipping on it, and he used a $1.50 bubble mailer envelope.  I'm getting increasingly sick and tired of LAZY ebay sellers that won't package something appropriately.

The last 290x that was sent back was packaged literally in cling wrap from their kitchen, and a foam stick....which probably killed it by ESD (display outputs were ALL dead, dunno if card was recognized at all by PC, no display).  Seriously, an anti static bag and some newspaper isn't too much to ask for, inside of a dang BOX.

Edited July 29, 2021 by pioneerisloud

[BWG]

I have a plastic welder. I use it to fix bumpers on cars. I'd be willing to try it, but I also have the first aftermarket case I bought, a S-Viking, which is kind of similar,  if you need it.

[pio]

58 minutes ago, BWG said:

I have a plastic welder. I use it to fix bumpers on cars. I'd be willing to try it, but I also have the first aftermarket case I bought, a S-Viking, which is kind of similar,  if you need it.

I've got a bid in on an old kingwin case for another rig, so I think that'll be it except one more beige box but thank you. 

 

I'll pm you about the front panel, see what you think. Well, when I get home this evening I will lol. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by pioneerisloud

[ENTERPRISE]

On 24/07/2021 at 07:05, pioneerisloud said:

Okay, so I'm going to need some expert opinions here.  I was trying so very hard to NOT have to do plastic work, but on this case I'm just going to have to.  Take a peak at what arrived today, but sadly is broken.   Not sending it back, gonna try to fix it.  Any ideas on how to fix this, please....in detail explain!

Also, not exactly advertising.....but if anybody is confident enough in their abilities to actually fix this front panel for me, I'd happily pay somebody.  Any links or recommendations on that would also be appreciated.  This case NEEDS to be restored back to its original glory!  I mean c'mon, I have the OG box even!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And just for giggles, this GPU just arrived today.  This is the GPU I intend to put into this beast of a tower.  ATI Radeon 9800XT 256MB.  Planning on it pairing with an Athlon T-Bird 1.1GHz or so, 512MB RAM, and Win98SE.  Of course I'll also ATTEMPT to modernize it at first, maybe with a Linux flavor or something?  But that's the eventual plan for this setup.  The front panels of the case aren't a big deal as I'll be using 2x 3.5" externals and 2x5.25" externals as well.  So the messed up bay covers aren't a big deal.  Just the giant crack in the top, and the completely busted off plastic clips that hold the entire bottom assembly on.  If I can fix that somehow with magnets or something, then great!  I just need to figure out how to "build up" plastic, high enough and strong enough that it'll hold.

 

Late to the party but love the case and OMG the 9800XT ! I Remember that beast. I remember when I had a 9700 and was able to unlock the additional pipelines to a 9800XT. If I recall correctly that is.

[pio]

14 minutes ago, ENTERPRISE said:

Late to the party but love the case and OMG the 9800XT ! I Remember that beast. I remember when I had a 9700 and was able to unlock the additional pipelines to a 9800XT. If I recall correctly that is.

I think so?  There was also 9500's that unlocked to 9700's.  Thank you, working on getting it going now.  Just ordered a Socket A setup for it, should hopefully be here in a week or two.  Museum work never stops. 

[pio]

I think I actually scored a functional 290x that should arrive in one piece FINALLY.  Won a bid on ebay for a steal (considering current pricing).  The seller had a really good detailed description, stated it was freshly cleaned with his data-vac, and that it'd be shipped in an anti static bag (like a card should be).  Sapphire 290x Tri-X OC 4GB is inbound to my house.

[ENTERPRISE]

3 hours ago, pioneerisloud said:

I think I actually scored a functional 290x that should arrive in one piece FINALLY.  Won a bid on ebay for a steal (considering current pricing).  The seller had a really good detailed description, stated it was freshly cleaned with his data-vac, and that it'd be shipped in an anti static bag (like a card should be).  Sapphire 290x Tri-X OC 4GB is inbound to my house.

Nice. Fingers crossed it is a winner.