Chieftec hightower - inside cutting

MrNiceGuyMrNiceGuy Denmark
edited February 2004 in Hardware
Ehh, the best title I could come up with at the moment ;)

I'm getting pretty annoyed at that crossing metal plate (a few inches under the PSU, almost lines up with the normal ATX mobos at the top) as removing and installing HSF's is a pretty tedious task with very little manouver room..

It's a pretty sturdy case as it is, but I was thinking of cutting that plate off all together, as to me, it's only a nuisance..

Have anyone tried this ? I'm concerned of the stability of the case, if it's function is also load bearing and stability.

Comments

  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited February 2004
    Well, my case has something like this too...a huge bar that gets in the way of putting the HSF while the motherboard is in there. I actually have to take the whole sucker out to mount the HSF. It makes me want to buy another case with a removable mobo tray just to circumvent this. I like the rigidity the bar gives to the case but ugh...I really need a tray.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited February 2004
    I always unscrew the PSU so there is more room under the bar. I hate that bar as well.
  • MrNiceGuyMrNiceGuy Denmark
    edited February 2004
    Well the PSU isn't in the way, it's that stupid metal plate.. and it's rivetted on the case.
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited February 2004
    My case has a bar, but being full-sized ATX, there is more than enough room around it so it's never a problem. ;)

    My other cases have them as well, but I dont have a problem with them if I take the PSU out before I mess around in the area (such as doing anything with the HSF).
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited February 2004
    I haven't tried this myself, but older Micron PC's had a bar that went across the middle of the case BUT it was removable. Try drilling out the rivets and then replace the rivets with small machine screws... Then you get the rigidity and still have access. I may try this at home this weekend.
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    edited February 2004
    MrNiceGuy wrote:
    Ehh, the best title I could come up with at the moment ;)

    I'm getting pretty annoyed at that crossing metal plate (a few inches under the PSU, almost lines up with the normal ATX mobos at the top) as removing and installing HSF's is a pretty tedious task with very little manouver room..

    It's a pretty sturdy case as it is, but I was thinking of cutting that plate off all together, as to me, it's only a nuisance..

    Have anyone tried this ? I'm concerned of the stability of the case, if it's function is also load bearing and stability.

    The plate that runs from left side to right side parallel to the reinforcing bar supports the PSU if screws come loose. It is a safety plate and can help ground-bond case to PSU if PSU rests on it also The ground connections that need studs for modern motherboards provide grounding continuity only if the PSU itself can route that current flowing to ground through the power cord ground line to house power supply ground-- this provision of ground flow from motherboard (and the metal cases of HDs, floppy drives, optical storage drives, etc.) to power line ground is bonding. If you put in things that draw a lot of power, safer to have extra metal-to-metal grounding. Case is grounded via power line ground wire also, safety for case. If ground bonding is good, a HD could fry, the black wires could melt, and if ground bond was good then only HD would die-- bond is not that perfect, but the motherbboard needs grounding as well as neutral wires for excess provided current return from power control and forming circuits on motherboard.

    Hot to ground flow, and not having a buildup of charge on grounding planes in motherboard are important. Build up a charge of current trying to go to ground, and you get a change in ground potential and thus you can get electronics having problems when the circuits try to determine high or low signals-- each logical switch in a computer uses levels of voltage or amperage (milliamps) and thus wattage to determine what overall happens in a single switch. Get a high enough backup or buildup of current flow and you get a change from what is wanted in a circuit. Power flows via course of least resistance, as does water-- many route choices and senses of lack (or low level) current and presence of highs (or greater currnet flow level at any one instant are used to compute. Your dang annoying plate can help make the flow better.

    Leave in if you can. If not, find another way to bond the case properly.

    John D.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited February 2004
    Yeah I take the PSU out or just unscrew it so it sits on the bottom of the case. Then I can use a shorter screwdriver to get under the metal bar.
  • MrNiceGuyMrNiceGuy Denmark
    edited February 2004
    Thanks for the advices all.
    I'll keep that in mind, Ageek :)
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