So today, I went on a little field trip to Akihabara. Partly just to goof off, but also I was searching for a new case for my PC. Not that the NZXT Phantom 530 isn't fantastic, but I needed something significantly smaller. More specifically, I wanted something that I could fit into my standup locker aboard the ship… even if just barely.

After doing some research, Silverstone ATX HTPC cases seemed like they were exactly what I needed. But sadly, after much searching in Akihabara, I only managed to find one store that carried them… and they were sold out. But during my searching, I discovered an affordable and very nice-looking case that hadn't turned up during my initial research: The Corsair Carbide 100R.

As an aside, I've gotta say… although I don't use my Nexus 7 as much as I'd like to, it was the most fantastic tool for today. I discovered that the width of my locker is the same as the height of the Nexus 7, so in addition to providing GPS and maps for my scavenger hunt, it was also extremely handy for quickly determining whether or not a case was too wide for my needs.

So anyway, after I failed to secure my desired HTPC case, I settled for the Corsair. At 200mm wide with the sidepanels on, it probably would be a very tight squeeze getting it into my locker. But removing the sidepanels reduces the width by 14 mm, more than enough to allow it to slide into my locker smoothly. And that's fine by me because I can't get the sidepanels back on right now anyway due to my atrocious wiring job. Cable management isn't really my strong suit, and it's all the more obvious in a case that doesn't have nearly as much breathing room as the NZXT.

Downgrading to a smaller case meant that I also had to get a smaller CPU cooler. Unfortunately the one I went with didn't really like my motherboard layout, so I was forced to remove some RAM for the time being just to be able to fit it.

So yeah, woo. My awesome PC is now located somewhere that I have relatively easy access to. Only problem is that there isn't much point in whipping it out if I can't use Steam… hopefully that gets fixed before low-end smartphones start featuring specs on par with my PC.