Commodore C64x Retro Keyboard Chassis - Original Beige

The MyRetroComputer C64x is a Mini-ITX enclosure with a full Cherry Switch Mechanical Keyboard included - in the shape of the world's most popular personal computer of the 1980s. It is the the closest thing to the classic Mini-ITX projects of yore available commercially. The C64x features:

• Commodore 64 shape and logo, fully licensed
• Delightful Red LED power button top right
• Reproduction Original-Style Packaging in several designs
• 71 Key Mechanical Keyboard with "Clicky" Cherry MX Blue Switches
• Room to fit a Mini-ITX board inside
• DVD drive slot on the left
• USB 3.0 ports on the right side
• Original Beige and Limited Edition 'Chameleon' Colour Schemes: VIC-20, C16 (Black), White, Blue, Green, Purple, Red.

Some boards lend themselves to the C64x more than others. All C64x builds are unique and beautiful creatures, and unlike any standard PC case build. Please read this page carefully before making a purchase.

Popular Configurations

We have separate pages for our favourite configurations. Please use these to add all the items you require to your basket at once. We can even build your machine for you in these configurations if you prefer. Currently the configurations are:

• C64x & J3355B-ITX (HDMI, the cheapest option)
• C64x & JLI1S-5L (HDMI, J4125 runs slightly cooler than N100)
• C64x & JLI1B boards (VGA, J6412 runs slightly cooler than N100)
• C64x & N100DC-ITX (HDMI, VGA, the most powerful fanless option)
• C64x & A620I AX (HDMI, DP, 8xxG series AMD integrated graphics)

The JLIS and JLIB configurations do not support the USB 3.0 side panel, but they do have USB 3.1 on the rear. Not listed - the myriad other possible configurations. Let us know what parts you are considering and we can give you our opinion of how well it will work.

Choosing your Components

Boards with very high heatsinks will not fit the C64x. Tall sticks of memory above 32mm (usually with heatsinks attached) will not fit. The maximum heatsink height is 33mm. If using a picoPSU, the maximum height is 32mm (picoPSU-160-XT not compatible). The board's rear IO shield needs to be the traditional shape and depth - boards with built-in IO shields will not fit without extensive plastic modifications! Boards need to have a 2.54mm pitch USB 2.0 pin header to connect the keyboard.

To save you a daunting task, this special board filter will list boards that will fit the C64x and have a suitable USB 2.0 pin header.

There are 2x USB 3.0 ports on a metal panel in the right side of the C64x. Your board will require a USB 3.0 pin header to connect these, though some configurations will prefer to ingress the DC power input cable through the side instead.

There is no room to fit a graphics card. All Mini-ITX boards with built-in processors have onboard graphics. If 3D graphics are required, the most powerful integrated graphics are currently on the AMD 8X00G desktop processors.

Powering your Components

There are 3 normal powering options and several more esoteric powering options.

1. Boards with DC-input included just require an external AC Adapter, plugging directly into the board. The N100DC-ITX is a popular choice with a fast N100 processor and M.2 storage slot. The Jetway JLI boards run slightly cooler due to their J4125 and J6412 processors. Integrated boards with DC-Input
2. Boards with built-in low power processors and ATX connectors can be powered with a picoPSU-90 and 60W or 80W AC Adapter. Integrated boards with ATX connectors
3. Boards with desktop processor sockets can be powered with a picoPSU-150-XT and 150W AC Adapter. This gives a realistic power limit of about 135W for the whole system. Some processors may need to be throttled in the BIOS to meet this limit. The AMD 5xxG and 8xxG processors work particularly well as they draw around 90W under normal load. Note: the picoPSU-160XT is too tall to fit in the C64x though can often be fitted informally with an ATX Extender Cable. Suitable Desktop Processor Motherboards

Fitting a power cable

If powering with a picoPSU you will need to feed the power cable into the case. This can be done non-destructively by feeding through the DVD slot area on the left or by removing the USB 3.0 panel on the right. We have a small quantity of blank DC-input plates that fit the area on the right (more will be made if there is demand). These can be found on the various appropriate build pages. For the more mechanically gifted, there is a suitable position on the rear of the C64x that can be drilled to fit the DC-IN socket of the picoPSU.

More esoteric powering options, which may require various levels of ingenuity:

A DCDC-USB or DCDC-USB-200 can be fitted inside the case to power from batteries or from a non-standard voltage source.

For the most demanding systems, the 240W Zero-Flex PSU will physically fit in the enclosure in the 3.5in drive bay area, fed in through the DVD drive slot. There are no mounting points designed for these, but we welcome seeing your solutions!

The Keyboard

The mechanical keyboard is connected to the motherboard with a USB 2.0 cable. On some boards (e.g. N100DC-ITX) the caps lock LED will light when the power is connected but the board is off. This is normal behaviour. We recommend building and testing your machine with the keyboard positioned next to the lower half of the case until you are fully happy with it, then fitting the upper keyboard half as the final step.

The 2.5/3.5in Drive Tray

The drive tray can fit a 2.5in drive screwed from the underside. If the drive tray is removed, a 3.5in drive can be screwed from underneath using the drive tray screws. If you have 4x flat head M3 10mm screws then a 3.5in drive can be screwed from underneath with the drive tray in place. 2.5in/3.5in drive screws are sadly not included with this batch but will be included in any builds. The upper part of the tray has mounting holes to fit a DVD drive facing through the DVD slot. Optical drive screws are included. The entire tray can be removed from underneath to access the 2.5in screw locations or to make more room inside the case for other devices.

The DVD Slot

There is a slot on the left side to fit a 12.7mm (not 9.5mm) tall slimline optical drive. This slot can be left open or fitted with an optical drive, or a 2.5in drive in an optical drive-shaped adapter. Leaving the slot open does allow for slightly more airflow and gives another route to ingress power cables (for example pico-PSU or Zero-Flex PSU).

If fitting a optical drive or 2.5in drive in an adapter you will need at least a Mini-SATA (data/power) cable, and if you do not have a spare LP4 power connector handy (for example with the N100DC-ITX) you will need an additional SATA to LP4 adapter cable. We sell the 2.5in optical drive adapter either on its own (to be used as a blank) or with both of these cables.

Cooling

There are cooling challenges involved in using a limited-height angled chassis originally designed for a 1MHz computer! Low power consumption boards work well but even more powerful socket motherboards can be made to work effectively with some careful fan and processor speed throttling. We will add typical thermal settings for some motherboards to this page at a later date.

The chassis has a slot-in fan area at the rear which can fit a 40x40mm fan up to 15mm deep. There is a 5mm plastic fan cover to allow 10mm deep fans to fit easily. The provided 10mm fan is quiet but not particular effective. The Noctua NF-A4x10-PWM is a high quality replacement. Ensure your fan is pointed to vent air out of the case.

If fitting a board with a socket processor: the low enclosure height means that most consumer coolers are too tall to fit. Server-grade side blower coolers designed for 1U chassis are usually the best choice, but will be noisy without some fan speed adjustment in the BIOS. Quieter top blower coolers can be used though will vent upwards rather than out of the chassis. For AM4/AM5 sockets, the A18 is the quietest option. List of Coolers that fill fit the C64x, sorted quietest to loudest.

With some board and fan combinations, a 3D printed fan duct can be attached to the fan to vent directly out of the fan area at the back of the case. The duct connects to the fan holder, so a 40mm fan cannot be used in tandem with a duct.

Build Pictures

Send us your build pictures! We can put them on Instagram.