How I made a custom PC case as a Mechanical Engineer

I wanted a PC that was compact, portable, robust, and simply… different. The best and least cost-effective way to do this is by creating my own custom case.

Figure 1: Final Custom PC Case by Paul Lee

Introduction

I’m a mechanical engineer by degree from the University of Texas at Austin. When designing this case, I really should have ran heat and flow simulations to validate the cooling performance of the case. Without access to proper simulation softwares, I shifted my main focus in mechanical design to achieve compactness, portability, and durability while slapping on as many fans as I could. Hope you enjoy my journey.

PC Specifications

As my second PC build, I wanted an upgrade from my 2017 budget build. I sought high-end specs, albeit not the highest. Below are the final specifications for my new build and reasons why I chose those components.

Figure 2: PC Part Picker

CPU — Intel Core i7–9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor

You may wonder: Why Intel? Why an i7? Why the 9th gen? It was simply on sale for $199.99 at Microcenter. This processor normally retails for $300–350. The…