Whatever your needs are, the bonus of doing one yourself is the customisation. I've gone for a little bit of future proofing. The segregated usb3.0 port on the left is in case i want to dabble with SNAC connectors and controllers in future, but if you only use 1 bluetooth controller (as i do currently) would you really need the port on the front? Probably not. If you want to place all your bluetooth, wifi, keyboard mouse dongles etc into the usb board inside the box, will you need ports on the front? Probably not.
I want the easy access to plug/replug the wifi/bluetooth dongles and ultimately i want a wifi keyboard and mouse combo too, so thats 3 usb 2.0 ports needed. The fourth is failover.
You certainly don't need an OLED display, but hey, look how cool they are
And again, the MicroSD port is for ease, not having to delve inside. I haven't even neeed to take that card out in months, i can remotely copy files to it with WinSCP, but what if the OS is corrupted and i do need to rebuild it? Then, having it front mounted is just easier.
Besides, i reckon i've got a nice clean layout, so although to some it might seem like port overload, i'm okay with it.
I do plan to keep the posts coming, although progress will now slow down as work is horrendous at the minute and i am aiming to do this properly. This means getting the holes perfectly and expertly cut, which will take time and i do have a bit to learn when it comes to wiring some of it, certainly the OLED panel.
I got signed up to do a write-up on this project too for a magazine, so i do plan to keep a progress record with plenty of pics, and this thread is one place where i can do that.
Certainly more to come. And keep us informed on yours too if you do one. Always good to see other peoples builds (theres the "show us your mister" thread for that, good for inspiration).