[Build log] うずめ X コンパ | A Dreamcast & a Gamecube PC

Hardware Build Logs
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Elmo is back with his addiction!!!

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This time for my new build in the books: うずめ (Uzume)

But wait cityle, that’s not the same as usual:
Neptunia mk1, Neptunia mk2, Neptunia mk3

And nope, because this time, this build will be inside a Dreamcast shell! I went across this build, and I had an itch to do a build in it. Being larger than a Gamecube (which I also want to do a build inside), it offers an option where I can use most of my current components.

As Uzume represents the Dreamcast in the games, the PC will be named after her and themed after her, more precisely after her CPU form, Orange Heart.

I got a Dreamcast shell thanks to an MVP on Reddit and now it is on my way. Now I’m beginning to plan several stuff before it’s arrival:

  1. The paint job

I always begin by the end first. I want to do a paint job as the case is yellowed, mainly white, with orange and blue accents like Orange Heart, but I don’t know still how to theme it. So if you have any good idea to apply the theme of the build in the paint job, share it.

  1. The internal layout

That will be the most challenging part of the build. I know stx fits, and looking at the size, itx will surely fit but to see when I got it in hand. However, I want to use my GTX 1660ti in it, so cooling might be really challenging. Thinking maybe to put the CPU and GPU heatsinks in front of each other with a 120 or 140mm slim Noctua fan

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  1. PSU

I just need to buy an HDPLEX 400W with probably the usual used Dell 330W power brick, although I will look if I can find a more compact and nicer power brick.

And a stretch goal would be to put Gamecube connectors where are the connector openings.

Will keep up to date with this project.

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Sounds cool, would love to see this done. Have you any plans for the GD Drive area?

Why not keep the Dreamcast ones. Hook up USB converters behind them, and maybe get some of those better game pads I am sure exist.

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I’d second this but Dreamcast Gamepad converters are extremely hard to get by.

As much as I love that system, I dunno if that’s cool or not to modify a Dreamcast like that but then again, aftermarket shells exist and many original ones started yellowing already too (mine included).

So best luck for the project.

Once I have some spare money on hands, I’ll try to do a GameCube Sleeper using the DeskMini 301 and a Zen2 APU as base.

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nope, it gonna be covered by the cover and nothing else. I need all the height space in this build.

That’s why I was looking and fund a leftover shell because I didn’t want to use a functionnal Dreamcast

In my case I need to the Gamecube with a NUC because with a stx you just need to gut everything inside the Gamecube and I want to keep the Gamecube in this build

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Received the Dreamcast shell :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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And… ya maybe I will need to go away with that idea of using my itx board.
It would fits, but my god with the GPU would be squeezed with the cpu, putting an hdplex 400 inside it would be pretty much impossible. And that’s without knowing if the thermal would be manageable (I would have no space to put 40mm fans). So I think I would need to go with stx. But then I need a Dynamo 360, which will be a fucking challenge to find one.
(note the gap is there because I would need to remove all the protuberances of the top part to close it)
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GPU would fit nice, but need to remove the shroud and just put one fan for the GPU and CPU in the GPU heatsink depression
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(picture taken during Neptunia mk3)
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AHA I knew my ghetto-fabulous skills would come in handy one day

so instead of that thin 120 fan on that GPU, what will be shorter and cool better would be a low profile 60 or 80 mm ran and put it in between the gap, and if you’re feeling crafty cut out 2 sides opposite of each other so each of the far ends of the heatpipes will get air, having righ up against the fins will increase the static pressure and focus it through the fins instead of going the path of least resistance

old AM3 stock heatsinks are a great source of these low profile fans, if they have plastic standoffs you can just cut them off

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I wish heatsink manufacturing was cheaper, then you could have cool stuff like a CPU/GPU sandwich style heatsink

I know the 8GB 2666 ones are VLP but the 16GB ones might not be, might be worth getting some since you do SFF a lot

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Ya I totally see. I could just use the 80mm Noctua fan that is already on the GPU, which is a slim fan and fits already that gap, and duct each side of the GPU heatsink, but I still wonder if it gonna be enough to cool both the CPU and the GPU when under load.

I already undervolted my 1660ti, so I reach a maximum of 2000Mhz at 910mV, and there is ClockTuner for Ryzen to squeeze a better undervolt.

I wish too

Those could be really useful in order to gain that dear space. But I still don’t know if it could be enough to gain the required space to fit the hdplex. I mean, the itx motherboard really takes all the place available, as seen with the top cover

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And to push the GPU to one side of the bottom part to fit the hdlex laid down next to it would mean that the GPU and CPU heatsink will not be aligned and would greatly reduce cooling, unless I am able to make a really good duct

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what CPU are you going to be using? might be achivable with a 3300X
I know the athlon chips can be passively cooled, so a 3300X is just double that

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That’s why I was asking about your plans for the GD Drive. With some modification to the shell, namely cutting out the inside of the GD drive under the cover, you could have a large air intake at the push of the lid. Even matter make a catch that holds it just open, like maybe 20mm up at the front and it will not be wide open and draw in all the air you need.

Have it draw all the air in that way and exhaust out the sides/back or however you had that planned. Could maybe even put a dust filter in there of you wanted to DIY one.

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I would want to use my 3600, and to what I’ve seen cooling a 3300x would not be that much different to a 3600.

It is what I planned, but the space will be occupied by the motherboard because I really need all that space to fit the components right now. So there would be no airflow to have on that end.

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yeah but those coolers were designed for cases with air flow

like forget airflow, you won’t have air in that thing lol

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So I scratched my head for the different options at my disposal and I need your opinions. Keep in mind I want only want one power brick and not to deal with two.

So I can go with STX, as the inspiration for this build as done. The problem was that I needed the Dynamo 360 for the 19V passthrough to power the STX. And Dynamo 360 are so rare to get by I would have more chance to have a girlfriend before I find one. But, apparently somebody was able to run the Deskmini on 12V from a PSU, so that would solve that problem so I could just use a HDPLEX400.

Also, as a way to save money and space inside the Dreamcast, I could use my flex psu as an external psu and use some kind of adapter/plugs on the case (like using XLR) to disconnect and connect the 12V wires for the GPU and for the STX.

An easier solution would be also to just get a mini pc, get its motherboard and use it. Like I look for the Zbox E Series which would have simplified everything (even if I would had to go back to Intel), but it is too large (unless somebody can confirm the motherboard is smaller than 180x180mm).

And there is seldom small form factor pc with two nvmes to have one for the GPU (it is out of question I go back to SATA SSD)(I’m just asking for a 2x for the SSD a 4x for the GPU)

But there would be the Udoo Bolt Gear that would fit the bill, but I don’t know too much about it to make a sound decision.

So ya, I was wondering if you knew a small desktop that would fit and that I missed during my research. Or if you had better ideas. Or if my ideas are too stupid.

N.B.: Also, I was curious and took my Gamecube adapter to see if it would fit, and well the spacing on my adapter fit perfectly the openings of the Dreamcast, just need to sand the protuberances on the back for a perfect fit, so now that add-on is a must to take into consideration :sweat_smile: I’m asking for so much :joy:

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okay so that would work but the thing is you won’t have any sense pins connnected on the 24 of the HDPlex, so it would be constantly running if you jumperred it, so you might have to solder the sense pins to the mobo or some hackery, I don’t know enough about PSUs to know if you can just splice it into the power button and it will work or not

actually scratch literally everything I just said

it looks like you can literally just splice the power button in to the 24 Pin sense pins

though you might have to hold it for a second because both your HDPLEX and Mobo might not both turn on at exactly the same time/sync up

the Mobo has to turn on slightly after the HDPLEX does otherwise it won’t get juice

I think, idk

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On the dreamcast is one switch momentary where it immediately pops back up and the other stays down when you press it?

if it has both
put the mobo power button to the momentary and put the PSU power sense to the one that stays down when you press it

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wouldn’t it make more sense to shove a gigabyte brix with a gpu or something in there?

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Why not use a stx board from a deskmini as is and hook the GPU up through the m.2? It would only be x4 but shouldnt matter given the GPU power.

The other thing you might consider, but not like, is a 3D printed spacer that would free up some room by spacing out the 2 halves of the shell. I’d be willing to help with that.

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I don’t have any button switch with the shell so I can put whatever I want. Ya will think about that, but it’s not so much of worry in my case.

I need a nuc with dual nvme for having one for my ssd and one for my gpu in that case. And if such thing exist, I will try to shove it in the Gamecube first.

The pcie lanes are not my issue, is the pcie power. I already look into it, and I remember something like with a pcie to nvme adapter, the nvme only deliver like 15 or 25W and would need molex for additional supply that I don’t have with the deskmini. And if I use the two sata on the deskmini to combine for a 8 pin, maybe I would get 100W, so it would kind be close to the 120W of power draw of the GTX 1660 Ti.

Seems very iffy for power delivery. Moreover, I would surpass the wattage of included power brick, and I don’t know if the deskmini could handle higher wattage passing through it.

Hence why the Dynamo 360, or HDPLEX 400 or my flex psu to power the deskmini with 12V that would enable safer power delivery.

That kind of goes against the spirit to build a PC inside a console to have the look of it :wink:

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ok it’s been a minute, i thought i saw one with an MXM GPU so it could be upgraded.

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But… a seven years old PC. It’s like if I was going older than my first desktop I built :worried: Would rather juste have current NUC or 4x4 and use a sata ssd instead

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