After adding more disks to the computer of my brother, the case clearly showed that it could no longer keep the components cool enough for comfort. I'm not kidding. We had to run it with the side panel off and a table fan blowing at it at full speed just to keep it from overheating. It wasn't even overclocked. But then again it lacked the room for even one case exhaust fan. The idea to just buy a new and better case didn't feel too good, mainly for the cost. Modding the existing case wasn't a good idea either as he would have to be without a computer until it was done.
The idea of building a case from scratch had been brewing between us for quite some time as this would be an opportunity to make the case just the way we (or at least my brother) wanted it. Making the case in steel or aluminum was not an option, mostly because none of us had any experience in working with metal. My brother has however made som nifty pieces in wood and I'm not entirely lost when it comes to wood either. The cost is probably equal to, or higher than buying a new case, but it's alot more fun this way.
We decided to make the case out of MDF board, a hard and dense wood fiber board that is easy to work with. MDF is often used to build speaker housings and such.
The design of the case is mainly aimed at making an effieciently cooled and at the same time quiet case. For this purpose we decided to use only 120 mm fans instead of the more common 80 mm fans. The case is fairly large to make it roomy enough to work in and so we wouldn't accidently make something to tight.
The components for the case should be made from scrap parts found in our garage to keep the cost down. There are several examples of this further down. Some parts need to be purchased, but the budget should be kept low.