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CHEAT SHEET 1/6

GEFORCE GARAGE RED HARBINGER

CROSS DESK SERIES

HOW TO MODIFY
YOUR CHASSIS
FEATURING
LEE HARRINGTON OF
PCJUNKIEMODS

The perfect PC case is the one you make. You can be LEVEL:
perfectly happy with the case that came with your PC MASTER
or one you bought yourself, but once you acquire a
handful of simple tools and learn a few skills, you’ll be TOOLS:
able to turn your rig’s enclosure into a one-of-a-kind SAFETY GOGGLES
chassis that does exactly what you need it to do. BLUE PAINTER’S TAPE
In the first of our GeForce Garage skill guides METAL FILES
featuring the mighty Cross Desk designed by Red RULER
Harbinger, Lee Harrington of PcjunkieMods shows you DEBURRING TOOL
how to cut holes and panels in PC cases so you can DREMEL TOOL(LEE'S USING A
add fans for additional airflow - a good idea if you’ve DREMEL 4000)
upgraded to dual or even quad GPUs and the ambient POWER DRILL
temperature in your case is rising. NIBBLER

Before we introduce you to the tools you’ll ADVANCED

need, there’s one you should never be without TOOLS (OPTIONAL):
when you’re modding: safety glasses. An HOLE SAW (4.5-INCH DIAMETER
inexpensive pair of hardware store safety glasses is FOR 120MM FANS)

fine, but even prescription lenses or very lightly tinted DREMEL WITH FLEX-SHAFT
“SNAKE” ATTACHMENT
sunglasses are better than nothing (but don’t use dark CUTTING OIL
sunglasses that obscure your vision). Trust us, we’re
not being overprotective. One tiny sliver of flying metal
- so tiny you can barely see it with the naked eye - is
all it takes to ruin your day. Get yourself a pair of safety
glasses - and wear them!

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BASIC CUTTING 1/2 2/6

STEP 1:
Mark out the area to be re-
moved with blue painter’s
tape.

STEP 2:
If necessary, use a drill to
make a starter hole for the
Nibbler.

STEP 3:
Use the Nibbler to cut
through the case.
NOTE: the Nibbler is designed to cut
through flat surfaces; use the Dremel
tool to cut through areas with depres-
sions (see Step 4).

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BASIC CUTTING 2/2 3/6

STEP 4:
Use a Dremel on areas
that the Nibbler can’t cut
through easily (in this case,
the depressions surround-
ing holes for case fan
screws).

STEP 5:
Use a metal file to remove
burrs and clean up edges.
NOTE: Be careful! These rough edges
and burrs are extremely sharp

STEP 6:
Screw in your case fan and
you're done!

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ADVANCED CUTTING 1/3 4/6

STEP 1:
Use a template to mark off
the cutting areas and/or
holes.
NOTE: You'll find the cutting template
Lee used - along with many others -
over here:
http://mnpctech.com/pc-cooling-fan-
templates.html

STEP 2:
Drill "pilot" starter holes.
Here, Lee's using a 1/8"
drill bit.

STEP 3:
Use larger drill bit to ex-
pand the hole to match the
fan bracket screw size. In
this example, Lee's using a
13/64" drill bit.

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ADVANCED CUTTING 2/3 5/6

STEP 4:
Use blue painter’s tape to
mark off the cutting area.
NOTE: Don’t skip this step! The easily
removable painter’s tape isn’t just
a guide: it also helps prevent rogue
metal splinters from flying around.

STEP 5:
Use the hole saw to create
a shallow cut for the cut-
ting oil.

STEP 6:
Apply cutting oil into the
groove created by the hole
saw.

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ADVANCED CUTTING 3/3 6/6

STEP 7:
Finish boring through the
case with the saw.

STEP 8:
Use a metal file to remove
burrs and clean up edges,
and you're done!
NOTE: Again, be careful! These rough
edges are sharp and mean business.

GeForce Garage: Cross Desk Series

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

www.geforce.com/garage