I've had a dream for a few years of tearing out the innards of my childhood Compaq Presario CDS 520 and installing a completely new interior and a new screen in place of the CRT monitor. Then I realized the screen is probably 10 inches horizontally and it's square so it would probably be a good idea to have a separate monitor and the whole computer can just be the case. I'll remove the CRT monitor completely and install acrylic in the front so I can view the parts and pretty lights and fans
My mission to myself is to have a desktop case that functions the way it should. The power button works,, floppy drive works (well idk maybe), the DVD (/blu ray?) drive uses the same tray as before and hopefully even the CPU lights blink when they should. As far as the actual parts I'm pretty set on buying the Core i5-750 with a matching P55 mobo, but I'm not sure if I should get a tiny one like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136073. The case measures ~13" at all the smallest places so I might not need a small mobo and I don't want heat to be an issue. I'm not worried what graphics card so much (although I do want/need one). I'm just worried about everything actually FITTING and working.
If you're unfamiliar with this computer go here http://www.obsolete-tears.com/compaq-presario-cds-520-machine-359.html. I can provide pictures of the one I own if anyone is interested.
I'm posting all this here because I'm very interested in your ideas, suggestions, opinions, warnings, similar stories, etc. So... what do you think?