Best Byte Computers was kind enough to send over a blue window kit for me to review. By adding a window to your case you can show off your killer machine and impress all your friends. The kit comes with the following…
A blue rectangle plexiglass window, which measures approximately 12″ tall by 9.5″ wide.
Double sided molding with locking strip
A washer
And Instructions
Now that we know what we get lets start installing! You will first want to decide where and how you want your window to be installed. I am going to install mine over the handle and 2 blowholes which I no longer use.
I always outline where the window is going to be before I use the washer just incase I move the window by accident while outlining with the washer, doing this can save you a little frustration.
After you have the first line drawn go ahead and get your washer, lay it on the case and press it up against the side of the window. Use a pencil and drawn around the window again which will give you a little space to accommodate the molding.
You should now have 2 lines, with the outer most outline being equal all the way around from the inside line. After you have the outline of the window drawn with the washer we can now start cutting.
You will need a Dremel, jigsaw, or other cutting tool, which can cut through the metal of your case. As always I will be using my Dremel, I have a fiberglass reinforced cutoff wheel attached. Also be sure to always wear safety glasses of some kind, you don’t want to get case shrapnel in your eyes. Also a dust mask is also suggested to keep all the stuff flying around the air out of your lungs.
Go ahead and start cutting along the outermost line, take your time and be patient. Here’s a picture of the cutting process being about half done, see why the mask is a good idea?
4 cutoff wheels later and about 20 minutes of cutting and I am done.
Here’s the big piece I just cut out of my case, go ahead and throw it in the trash or do whatever you like with it
As you can see from the picture it is a good idea to grind down the edges so they are not sharp and jagged, trust me they can hurt. Go ahead and use some kind of grinding stone with your Dremel or a file if you do not have a Dremel.
After you have the edges smooth enough so you wont cut yourself go ahead and clean off all the mess from cutting. Your hole should be about 1/8″ larger than the window now.
Take the double-sided window molding and use the smaller side of it to run along the case. The larger opening will be for the window.
Run the molding along the entire edge of the hole, you will probably have a little excess, which is good.
Use a razor blade or something else to cut it so the 2 ends meet. I would suggest cutting a few times in small pieces, you don’t want to cut too much and have a gap.
Now comes the tough part. I’m not going to lie to you, getting the window into the molding and having it stay there is a task. Go slow, be careful not to have one part slip out while your working on another, if you get frustrated take a break and come back to it later. It took me about 30 minutes to get it in right after trying a few times. It will be worth the effort when you are done. There is no trick to it that I have found after doing a few windows, just slide one corner in and work the rest in slowly.
After all my hard work and struggling I finally got it in. I decided not to use the locking strip because I felt it was not needed. The window was so tight it already wouldn’t move without the locking strip. I also was not able to get the locking strip into the gap, this is most likely because I cut the hole a little too close.
You will probably want to clean off the window because by now it has all kind of fingerprints on it. Take your door back to your case and slide it back on. You can now sit back and relax. Your window mod is now complete as you can see it looks really awesome, the picture does not do it justice .
Conclusion:
Now that you have your window installed I would suggest you tidy up your case if you already have not so that when people see the innards of your case they will be very impressed. Also you can add a cold cathode or neon from Best Byte to the inside and it will make it much more impressive. Again I would like to thank Best Byte for sending over this kit.
Pros:
- Well priced
- Looks awesome
- Kit comes with all the parts you will need
- Plexiglass is thick and strong
- Instructions are clear and easy to read
Cons:
- Can be difficult to install