How to Build a Sleeper PC Part 2: Improving Air Flow in Older Cases

[@fishytails6639]

What many people miss is that when you raise the case a little bit by adding higher feet you can pretty much remove the entire bottom of the case to get some massive airflow going. The problem of proper exhaust still remains but to pull air in this is a great way.

[@psedach]

Yup - just need to add some dust filter/filter screen

[@sirchristopher2000]

@@roimores Marjinally more frequent cleaning is definitely a small price to pay for this!

[@sirchristopher2000]

An array of uniform holes cut into the back plate allows for the air to be pushed out due to the pressure differential. No real 'need' for exhausts if you play it right. he could have also easily drilled out holes around the ear exhaust here to increase that to an 80mm.

[@dagnijabrante6304]

Can you make a tutorial on this cause my gpu is getting choked

[@kahlaaja]

What I´ll probably do is put slightly higher feet under the case (if necessary) and air intake from the bottom. Alternatively I could try to dremel open some of the underside of the front plastic cover to allow more airflow there, if that cannot be seen. Also: for power supply I´ll put an sfx psu to somewhere front part of the case, and build a funnel with one or two 120mm fans to blow air out from the psu hole from the back. Leading the power cable to the psu from the back (like in many itx cases) will have to be thought out also, not sure how that goes.. Will see how this turns out when I get to building this in few weeks. :D

[@GamingRetro]

Yep, the underside is typically underutilized but can work great. Best of luck!

[@DamnZodiak]

As a small correction. Even a lot of modern cases, some would argue most of them, have utterly garbage airflow. While it might be slightly better than some older cases, many modern ones do it just as badly. From dust filters that kill static pressure to glass front pannels that choke off the fans. You'd be surprised at just how bad these cases are for your thermals.

[@datboi1026]

yeah, I noticed on my cousin’s prebuilt it wasn’t getting too hot but the small intake on the top would not be enough for great thermals.

[@Magnulus76]

True. I have an Antec Sonata II case and the limiting factors aren't the case per se, which actually has decent airflow considering it only uses a single 120mm fan (Noctua), it's the blower fans and the stock AMD cooler. Temps in the case, aside from the CPU, are more or less the same as my SO's much more modern Intel setup which has 4 fans and lots of air filters.

[@666neoselen]

these are pretty good advices i didn't heard anywhere. thanks for your work i appreciate :)

[@riyuiwashere]

Nice vid bro building a Sleeper PC when I found a Old PC Case

[@GamingRetro]

Thanks! Good luck... your local electronics recycling place probably has some for cheap.

[@carlosortuno8472]

I'm building one soon!!

[@infasis]

I used to work at a factory with CNC and lathes. I wonder if you walked into one and asked what they would charge you to put a bunch of those professional looking air holes in a case for you what they'd say. I regret never getting one of the guys to do it for me back when I worked there, but this was back when there wasn't really sleeper builds. It would've just been considered a cobbled together PC or something.

[@dxubty]

I actually work in a CNC, UV printing etc studio right now and was thinking of asking my boss to help me with this exact thing

[@Shojikitsune1]

I am working on a solution for this issue myself. I have an In-Win V508 series case. It shipped with single 3-pin 90mm exhaust fan and a top mounted PSU which actually sits in an 'attic' with the 2 5.25 bays. Originally, this case or it's immediate predecessor appears to have had one of those plastic cages for a front intake fan, but then InWin punched a hole through the bottom of the mounting area for a USB header. The interior of the case does have perforations for airflow, and the plastic front panel includes a series of wide slots here as well. Although the 92mm attachment holes are blocked by this USB header, there are holes that look like they allow direct attachment of an 80mm fan. However, these holes are slightly undersized and don't accept standard fan screws. Before drilling or hacking anything, I am going to try a set of silicone rubber fan mounting 'nails' or whatever they are called. I already have an 80mm 3-pin fan salvaged from a damaged case to use here. If these work, then I have a really cool 'sleeper' build with very little modding.

[@alfredklek]

I built my sleeper out of a gateway 2000 full tower from 1997. I'm an older guy with a lot of tools and a career in the trades. I'd never attempt this sort of thing without at least some basic fabrication skills, but y'all do you. I didn't build it necessarily to be a "sleeper", I just actually like the way computers from that era look. I knew I needed a new computer and I didn't want a modern case mucking up my vibe so I spent almost the same amount of money and like 15 hours of my limited time on earth making this thing work. To me it's totally worth it because there's a Pentium Pro sticker on my computer. Your milage may vary.

[@GamingRetro]

Yeah, Gateways can be hard to work with, mainly due to the custom I/O area that only accepts very specific (gateway) motherboards. I had to take a Dremel to mine to open up that area for a different motherboard. It was worth it though... I really like the look of the late 90s gateway cases. And they're actually pretty good sleeper cases if you don't mind modding the rear!

[@alfredklek]

@@GamingRetroMine had a piece of sheet metal there, screwed to the case about 2 inches wide, but the same height as a modern standard i/o panel so all I had to do was one straight cut. Quick sheet metal tip, score the piece you want to cut with a sharp utility knife and a straight edge. Securely clamp one side of your work near that cut then flex the piece back and forth and it will snap on your score. I'm sure that's not a great description but it's the way that house flashing is cut using a break. I'm sure someone has made a video about it. Comes out much cleaner than more accurate than using an abrasive wheel (also way quicker and much quieter). Most of the time I spent on this case was on airflow management (drilling/reaming holes, fabricating fan mounts). Pentiums run much cooler than Ryzens :).

[@totygamescz6863]

I have the same case you use first.. and it's real no fake sleeper

[@2u263]

What is a sleeper pc? I never heard of it. Have 2 older PCs and want to reperpous them for modern hardware & was browsing diy pc cases & modding when i stumbled onto this. So please what is a Sleeper PC🐒 i have a 1999 atx case edge 1st build & coolmaster 2007 2nd build and the thought of trashing hardware makes me want to cry🤔

[@GamingRetro]

I think you've got the idea -- sleepers are modern PCs in vintage cases. A case from '99 would probably quality, especially if it's beige :)

[@5thsNGunz]

I can’t wait to build my sleeper from a 10 year old compaq I’m currently running windows10 on lol but I’m going to turn that old case into a micro atxvery soon I hope 😊

[@Steve-ew5sl]

I have questions so I am currently working on my sleeper pc build projects so for front fan what size can it fit my way too different my manufacture in 2000

[@prank1383]

So I’m building my first pc and in an effort to budget I’m using a relatively old case (2013 gateway dx4870) I know it’s not retro or even close to retro but your guides have been the closest thing I can find to a clear and well worded way of describing what might one consider building a sleeper. I’m here asking if using my case (I can provide a link to a Newegg listing that shows the specs of the pc including pics of the case) is a good idea. I’m not that handy so I want to avoid crazy adjustments that’ll require tools I don’t have any experience using. I’m only really worried about thermals and airflow in the case. I’m only slightly worried about dimensions but I think I have everything considered correctly. I’m not worried about noise levels (having a first edition ps4 changes your perspective lol) so I don’t mind putting extra louder fans if it means I don’t have to spend more than I would on a different case. I want to know if I’m okay for using my current planned parts and some preintalled parts and if it’s even worth it to use my case over buying a new one. I can link a pc part picker list if you need more info and that newegg listing if you can’t find anything on the pc model I described.

[@Magnulus76]

blower cards are really better for older cases. I have an older ATX case from 2005 and the airflow wasn't designed for newer updraft cards, so temps are a little higher than I'd like.

[@joaomezencio]

Nice video... Thanks... I got one question... What do you think about LTT's sleeper pcs? Do you like RGB and stuff like that? Give us your opinion

[@GamingRetro]

Not a huge fan of flashy RGB, and honestly I don't think you have a true "sleeper" if you can see the modern components through a side window. With that said, I do like smaller modern touches like the LED power switch I use in my 2001 sleeper build... basically I think it's fine if it's not over the top and just compliments the original case design :)

[@joaomezencio]

@@GamingRetro in brazil people think that old cases are useless... it's really hard to find a good one...

[@vinyl.croatia]

A case I've got for my future sleeper pc has only one 120mm fan on the front and 90mm fan on the back. Is this enough?

[@ridewithjash]

Do you think bottom intakes are a good idea for these builds?

[@GamingRetro]

I tend to think that any intake is good... but if it is too open you could have a dust issue. I usually just recommend cleaning it out every few months anyway.

[@togiisuperheavytank]

I have a old acer case that is about 14 years old and it has space for 3 maybe 4 fans if you include the cpu fan but im assuming the third fan area is just for the cone cpu fans

[@mikesapienza1211]

I have an HP Pavilion a6319fh from 2008. The airflow intake does include the bottom of the case and some around the plastic shielding. The trouble is that the hard drive cage sits right in front of that intake. Does anyone else have an HP mATX Pavilion tower from the 2006-2008 and if so would you recommend it for a sleeper build?

[@greatwavefan397]

Hey, Mike. If you remove the bottom drive bay, it looks like there's a possible fan mount.

[@adhimramdana752]

very good video. i'm building one too. but stuck on the seven segment display. i cannot find the pin on the motherboard to display the cpu frequency. i'm using msi h61 board

[@daud3851]

How did u make ur pc start with a key?

[@Ndutothoth]

Hey is the opening of the video an actual PC build?

[@corz299]

Dell e520 case. Is it good

[@davidhyland3833]

I commented on your reddit ivory tower build post, but you may not have seen it. I have a similar tower (almost identical but maybe a step or two below yours) and wanted to know how you hooked up your power switch. My case has a physical on off switch inside instead of a momentary switch, did yours have this?

[@GamingRetro]

I actually just use the reset switch! An internal switch is pretty odd?

[@sleeperburuk5340]

I am building one soon and will get good fans for it

[@Wolfstanus]

A sleeper build is to be just that. No outward appearance change that implies you have a power system in the case. When you start adding big black vents to a case and adding RGB? You have lost what sleeper means

[@MrWolfSnack]

Same happens with cars. Idiots have no idea what they are doing.

[@hydra3693]

I had to add vents to mine and ghetto rig several things but it looks mostly the same except for the stickers (modern Ryzen/Geforce GTX inside)

[@alexthehopeless3778]

What is a sleeper build?

[@peterdarr383]

Damn near every computer I've owned - 3 generations out of date but built up with somewhat mis-matched hardware. Didn't know this was "cool" And I still have all my old computers . . . . .

[@WillSmith-26]

@@peterdarr383 not quite, a sleeper build a pc that looks old and quite slow but inside has a better than average system of components. in easy terms its a slow looking computer that runs fast

[@jocap3837]

I ain't building a sleeper, I'm adding a new card in my old ass PC, and have no money for a new case T-T

[@pumelo1]

The "case" is not important, but what is inside that is important! I myself have a 20-year-old larger case, I use high-quality Arctic cooling 17-year-old fans and everything works with Ryzen 5500 on an A520M board. The processor does not even reach 50 degrees Celsius It is useless to give money for things that are not so necessary to change!

[@jocap3837]

@@pumelo1 in your opinion is one 140mm intake and one 80mm exhaust is okay? For a 6600xt?

[@pumelo1]

@@jocap3837 I don't use such high end cards, they are expensive and my country has one of the most expensive electricity prices in the world. I have an older RX560 4gb TDP 80watt max. So I don't even need the front fan, I only have the rear one. It also depends on the temperature in the room and where the case is located. For this card it is important to cool down to around 75 degrees celsius

[@loljjfarm3785]

this video es just bla bla bla

[@Synthematix]

So wrong, older components generated more heat, especially hard drives and cpus

[@GamingRetro]

Hard drives, possibly... CPUs definitely not! 486 era processors and earlier normally didn't even come with a heatsink.

[@lul-os2ou]

@@GamingRetro i think he speaks from the P4 😂