Got BRIX Pro, now need DIY help

Info & chat about quiet prebuilt, small form factor and barebones systems, people's experiences with vendors thereof, etc.

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

Post Reply
croddie
Posts: 541
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 8:52 pm

Got BRIX Pro, now need DIY help

Post by croddie » Sun Jul 31, 2016 10:53 am

I was looking for a powerful small system and ended up with a Brix Pro GB-BXI7-5775R.
This is working very well but I need to silence it.

That means cutting a square in the top cover using a dremel to fit a Noctua fan in, as in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRgNyoiX6Cg
Also adapting the fan cable so it fits the header.

I'm not sure how to do any of this. Also I don't really feel like buying a dremel which I will have to work out the attachments for and only use once in the end.

What sort of professional can do these things? Should I look for "handyman" or some other term on local services?

Thanks!

Fire-Flare
Posts: 422
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:44 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: Got BRIX Pro, now need DIY help

Post by Fire-Flare » Sun Jul 31, 2016 11:00 am

Do you have a drill?

I'd use a hole saw for the big hole then drill mounting holes for the fan.

croddie
Posts: 541
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 8:52 pm

Re: Got BRIX Pro, now need DIY help

Post by croddie » Sun Jul 31, 2016 11:51 am

Thanks but a hole saw is too round! It should be a square hole about 8cm square and the corners need to be very precise to avoid destroying the power button.

I'm really wondering what a "professional diy" person is called so I can look one up!

Fire-Flare
Posts: 422
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:44 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: Got BRIX Pro, now need DIY help

Post by Fire-Flare » Sun Jul 31, 2016 12:53 pm

croddie wrote:Thanks but a hole saw is too round! It should be a square hole about 8cm square and the corners need to be very precise to avoid destroying the power button.

I'm really wondering what a "professional diy" person is called so I can look one up!
Ah, I'm not exactly sure myself. But if it were me, I'd put a want ad on Craigslist for an "Experienced computer case modder".

SebRad
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 1121
Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2003 7:18 am
Location: UK

Re: Got BRIX Pro, now need DIY help

Post by SebRad » Mon Aug 01, 2016 1:37 am

You could try looking for a local metal work or machining shop.
Hope to find someone there to take an interest in your project and they should easily have skills and tools to do a good cutting job.

Regards, Seb

boost
Posts: 661
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:29 am
Location: de_DE

Re: Got BRIX Pro, now need DIY help

Post by boost » Mon Aug 01, 2016 7:12 am

Noctua also makes a 92mm PWM fan which is only 14mm deep. The original fan in the Brix pro is 15mm deep, in the GB-BXi7-4770R model. I doubt that fan was changed from your model, but you should double check. The 14mm Noctua fan wouldn't protrude from the case. When you use this fan, you could have a fan grill cut into the case to have a sleeker looking system.

flyingsherpa
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 475
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2003 6:28 pm
Location: CT, USA

Re: Got BRIX Pro, now need DIY help

Post by flyingsherpa » Mon Aug 01, 2016 8:22 am

I suspect anyone you hire will cost you more than just buying the dremel, but if you're just not comfortable doing the work... well, you could hit up some popular case mod sites and see if anyone would be willing to help you out. The parts are reasonably small to ship to someone. Or look to see if you have a local maker community. I'm interested to see how well this works, I really want a quiet Iris Pro, though I think even with this mod it wouldn't suit my needs, as I want to have several drives hooked up and I don't think these boards have extra sata ports.

Pretty sure "professional DIY guy for hire" is an oxymoron ;)

croddie
Posts: 541
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 8:52 pm

Re: Got BRIX Pro, now need DIY help

Post by croddie » Mon Aug 01, 2016 2:20 pm

Thanks for the advice everyone! Nice to have some options! I'll see which one works out.

boost: it's a straight Broadwell upgrade to the 4770R model; everything else is the same. I actually don't mind a fan sticking out though!

flyingsherpa: I think it's as good as you can expect these days. I have 500GB mSATA + 2TB HDD and I think you can get double that if needed. eSATA has unfortunately gone out of fashion. I guess you can hope for an expresscard or thunderbolt system to come out.

Post Reply