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IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
Acquired a Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e and an IBM NetVista 6578 with a faulty motherboard.
Gutted most of the M72e
This is the final result!
Specs: IBM NetVista A40 6578-TAU case
Arctic F8 Pro PWM 80mm fan
80mm fan installed in front (pulled from M72e)
SeaSonic SS-350SFE 350W SFX power supply
Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e motherboard
Intel Core i5 3470 3.2GHz quad core processor
8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 RAM
DVD/RW drive
128GB Samsung SSD
500GB 7200RPM Western Digital hard drive
1GB AMD RADEON HD6570 PCIe video card
USB 3.0 PCIe card
Windows 7 64 bit
Spraypainted the metal part of the case. Closest color I could find. Hides the scratches well.
Case is really easy to open. Push 2 buttons on each side and lift it upwards.
The rear. I/O shield is kinda just stuck on there. Plugged in cables keep it in place. Those are the original NetVista PCI slot brackets.
Front has USB 2.0 ports on the bottom right corner.
Cover removed.
The guts
Another view
Messy cables galore. Might end up using zipties to settle those down.
The drives can be flipped easily.
Samsung SSD
Front panel pins needed some rearranging and trial + error.
Closeup of the power supply label.
IBM Model M made by Lexmark 42H1292
Corsair Harpoon RGB mouse
Here it is in action, stacked on top of a complete working original NetVista with a Pentium III 1GHz processor.
Customized BIOS logo
The desktop
System info
The desk, complete with old Altec Lansing ACS 5 computer speakers.
NetVista 4:3 wallpaper
NetVista 16:9 wallpaper
Black NetVista 4:3 wallpaper
Black NetVista 16:9 wallpaper
NetVista icon
NetVista icon with IBM logo
This was a lot of fun to make! There's a cooler sleeper with NetVista here. He inspired me to do this one. https://imgur.com/gallery/8HsYp
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- Senior ThinkPadder
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Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
Thats one sleeper alright. It is also sane enough that we dont need to have a machine lab and a few million dollars in funding like those crazy SLI Titan water cooled i9-XE processors, etc. I like that BIOS splash screen, was that using Lenovos utility which I think has the ability for custom splash screens?
Thinkpad4by3's Law of the Universe.
The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.
The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.
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- Senior ThinkPadder
- Posts: 3831
- Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 5:49 am
- Location: Metro Manila, Philippines
Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
I'm glad to see that OEMs have moved away from the BTX and micro-BTX motherboard form factor. It makes these sleeper builds much cheaper.
I used to make similar builds for my clients: find a Pentium III/IV Netvista/Thinkcentre casing, put it modern components.
I have particular disdain for cheap-butt PC casings with "tin-can" sheet metal.
I used to make similar builds for my clients: find a Pentium III/IV Netvista/Thinkcentre casing, put it modern components.
I have particular disdain for cheap-butt PC casings with "tin-can" sheet metal.
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E
Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
A lot of new PC cases, even the higher end ones, still feel cheap to me. They don't seem like they're designed to last.
Yeah I used the latest BIOS for the M72e to change the BIOS logo.
Yeah I used the latest BIOS for the M72e to change the BIOS logo.
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Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
I have this superb aluminum case: Lian Li PC67.
https://cdn.staticneo.com/neo_image/571 ... image3.jpg
Paid over $200 for it back in 2001.
Over the years it has seen quite a few upgrades.
The last upgrade by now is 8 years 'young', but is still running as strong as ever.
- Asus M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 motherboard
- AMD Phenom II 555 Black Edition 3.2GHz CPU
- MSI GeForce GT 730 with 2GB VRAM graphics card
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB Crucial MX100 SSD with W7-64bit
- 2TB Seagate HD for storage
I use this desktop as my during-the-day driver, it gets switched off every day around 5pm (Apero-time )
In the evenings I currently use my X230 for checking emails etc.
If you want more info about this case: https://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hard ... kpc67case/
(except mine does not have the top- and side-panel fans).
https://cdn.staticneo.com/neo_image/571 ... image3.jpg
Paid over $200 for it back in 2001.
Over the years it has seen quite a few upgrades.
The last upgrade by now is 8 years 'young', but is still running as strong as ever.
- Asus M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 motherboard
- AMD Phenom II 555 Black Edition 3.2GHz CPU
- MSI GeForce GT 730 with 2GB VRAM graphics card
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB Crucial MX100 SSD with W7-64bit
- 2TB Seagate HD for storage
I use this desktop as my during-the-day driver, it gets switched off every day around 5pm (Apero-time )
In the evenings I currently use my X230 for checking emails etc.
If you want more info about this case: https://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hard ... kpc67case/
(except mine does not have the top- and side-panel fans).
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Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
Hey thanks (that's my build)!oeuvre wrote: ↑Wed Apr 04, 2018 4:21 pmThis was a lot of fun to make! There's a cooler sleeper with NetVista here. He inspired me to do this one. https://imgur.com/gallery/8HsYp
Though could you enlighten me on how you managed to fit that back exhaust fan on there? I think there's no obvious mounting point at that location...
Also, what parts did you use to fit the front USB ports? I thought the original USB harness uses a proprietary connector.
Thanks in advance... I'm going to upgrade that machine with fully modern parts (probably Ryzen with RX580 graphics), these tips will be useful!
EDIT: l see you mentioned that you fitted an 80mm fan at the front... The front can fit up to a 92mm fan.
Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
Thanks! This is the USB cable I got. https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-NetVista-D ... 1652583507
Had to trim the two closed holes and poked out the last one on the other side with a needle. Otherwise it should fit fine. Only thing is the cable itself is short so you gotta get some kind of extension. In my case, I just got a USB 2.0 to 3.0 converter and plugged it into the PCIe USB 3.0 card.
For the rear fan, I just used those pre-existing slats. You can see it here https://i.imgur.com/LiskRhL.jpg
I know the front fan can fit a 92mm one but I didn't have any 4 pin 92mm fans lying around.
Had to trim the two closed holes and poked out the last one on the other side with a needle. Otherwise it should fit fine. Only thing is the cable itself is short so you gotta get some kind of extension. In my case, I just got a USB 2.0 to 3.0 converter and plugged it into the PCIe USB 3.0 card.
For the rear fan, I just used those pre-existing slats. You can see it here https://i.imgur.com/LiskRhL.jpg
I know the front fan can fit a 92mm one but I didn't have any 4 pin 92mm fans lying around.
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- Sophomore Member
- Posts: 133
- Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2012 12:47 am
- Location: La Jolla, CA
Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
Thanks for the information!oeuvre wrote: ↑Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:50 pmThanks! This is the USB cable I got. https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-NetVista-D ... 1652583507
Had to trim the two closed holes and poked out the last one on the other side with a needle. Otherwise it should fit fine. Only thing is the cable itself is short so you gotta get some kind of extension. In my case, I just got a USB 2.0 to 3.0 converter and plugged it into the PCIe USB 3.0 card.
For the rear fan, I just used those pre-existing slats. You can see it here https://i.imgur.com/LiskRhL.jpg
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- Contact:
Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
Nicely done. There is a video on YouTube where someone did something similar, albeit with an old Aptiva case. He even made the "floppy drive" functional by hiding a SD card reader in it and placing an SD card into an old floppy disk.
I like it when people go all-out. Sure, it's not the original machine. But, it's still interesting to keep the "branding" and try to make everything look authentic - besides the fact that it's running a modern version of Windows, of course.
Great job!
I like it when people go all-out. Sure, it's not the original machine. But, it's still interesting to keep the "branding" and try to make everything look authentic - besides the fact that it's running a modern version of Windows, of course.
Great job!
ThinkPads: T420, T42
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- Senior ThinkPadder
- Posts: 3831
- Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 5:49 am
- Location: Metro Manila, Philippines
Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
I added front USB and audio ports to a Netvista (Type 6049) casing:
This casing I gave to a friend.
This casing I gave to a friend.
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E
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- Senior ThinkPadder
- Posts: 2670
- Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:25 am
- Location: N. Bellmore, ny
Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
Wow, that is well done. It looks factory and all, especially with the red and green audio jacks straight out of 2002 and the white USB ports from 1998!
Thinkpad4by3's Law of the Universe.
The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.
The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.
-
- Senior ThinkPadder
- Posts: 3831
- Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 5:49 am
- Location: Metro Manila, Philippines
Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
Thanks. It looks good mostly due to the grainy image (VGA resolution camera from an ancient Sony-Ericsson phone, K320 I think).Thinkpad4by3 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 06, 2018 12:03 pmWow, that is well done. It looks factory and all, especially with the red and green audio jacks straight out of 2002 and the white USB ports from 1998!
I can't remember where I scavenged that USB + audio panel from. Might have bought it somewhere.
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E
Re: IBM NetVista / Lenovo ThinkCentre sleeper build
Aha yours looks great! I've seen a couple Aptiva sleepers done too. https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/c ... per_build/
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