CCD MI-6: Performance in a 6.7L MIcrotower

Firewolfy said:
Yes, it should be fine, on the upper location. I might add a mm or 2 to be sure, depending on how the tolerances stack up.

Won't fit down at the lower front location, though, because the MB and divider are close and the HDD/SSD can't be pivoted out of the spring clip. It has to be hard mounted down there.
Click to expand...

The top mount would be just fine, using the spring clip would allow me to place the heat sink fins to the inside of the chassis, and also allow the proper vertical orientation of said fins for best airflow/cooling from the bottom-mounted Noctua NF-A8 PWM 80mm chassis fan…

Also, I just found out I am the LUCKY WINNER of the smallformfactor.net Corsair SF600 SFX PSU giveaway; so, YAY…!!! I now have an AWESOME PSU for my MI-6 build…!!!
 
Well, you will have to mount the 750 with the bottom (fins) toward the chassis wall, because the holes on HDD/SSDs are offset, so it can't be flipped.
intel-750-series-2.5-400gb-ssd_2.png



(Good news is that there is 2-4mm of ventilation space between an SSD and the wall:
HDD%20bracket%20clearance.jpg
 
Firewolfy said:
Boil,
Thx for the idea to fit 15mm, btw. It will make the case more capable.
Click to expand...

Hey man, I am here to help the community thru my altruistic actions (whilst secretly serving my own selfish needs)…

Seriously though; yes, I want the 15mm capacity for the SSD I want to use, but I am sure there may be others who want to use a 2.5" HDD, and most of them I see are also at a 15mm thickness…

EDIT TO ADD: At least the internal desktop HDDs all seem to be 15mm, but there are a goodly number of internal LAPTOP HDDs that are either 7mm or 9.5mm (as well as a few 15mm HDDs intended for laptops)…
 
Last edited:
Firewolfy said:
One piece of news -- I have the final dwgs out for costing. Looking for prototype quote, and then for 20pc, 100pc 500pc run sizes. Should have something early next week.
Click to expand...

Any word on this…?!?

I really want to snap up one of these chassis when available…!!!
 
Question towards HSF choice…

Cryorig C7, or Thermalright AXP-100 w/ TY-14013R fan…?!?

I wonder about compatibility of the AXP-100 with the M8I MB… PCPartsPicker says everything is cool, but I dunno, that audio daughter card might pose an issue…?
 
Last edited:
Boil said:
Any word on this…?!?

I really want to snap up one of these chassis when available…!!!
Click to expand...


Several places are working on the sheet metal quotes still. Can't really push them on quote timing, since there isn't much volume (or profit for them).
I have received 1 prototype quote for several of the sheet metal parts. Based on that it will be around $700 per complete sheet metal set (chassis, divider, front, cover, SSD bracket) for a 2 set prototype run. That is a bit rich for my blood, especially since cables, hardware and assembly aren't included, so I'm hoping some of the other fabrication houses will do better.
 
Firewolfy said:
Several places are working on the sheet metal quotes still. Can't really push them on quote timing, since there isn't much volume (or profit for them).
I have received 1 prototype quote for several of the sheet metal parts. Based on that it will be around $700 per complete sheet metal set (chassis, divider, front, cover, SSD bracket) for a 2 set prototype run. That is a bit rich for my blood, especially since cables, hardware and assembly aren't included, so I'm hoping some of the other fabrication houses will do better.
Click to expand...

Wow, that seems a bit expensive, hoping for better luck with some of the other fab shops you are looking at…!

Just a thought, let me know if I am talking out of my posterior… Have you tried importing your DWG (I do not even know if it is possible, I have failed to do anything with the program but load it to my laptop) into Protocase & getting some quotes from them…?

Or maybe asking around to some of the other 'boutique' chassis folks here that have had some success with prototyping & small runs of their chassis, see about getting quotes from the fab shops they have used…?

Just spitballing here, please tell me to STFU if I need to…! ;^p
 
Last edited:
Boil,
No problem with the ideas bro. I talked to protocase back in Nov and the standard templates they use to simplify prototyping don't really work for this chassis unless I made a lot of changes. I did originally look at other quick prototype houses as well in the same vein as protocase, but they are set up for fast-and-money-is-no-object prototyping. Ouch.

I did have discussions with one of the case builders that is supporting another custom case, but they didn't have the time. Great company though. One low-margin low-volume but fun case might be ok, but 2 at a time probably affects the bottom line too much.

I'm out here in Phx and there are about 10 fabricating houses that could do this sort of thing. I picked several of those and am working with them.

I really want someone who has no overhead and idle waterjet cutters, CNC punch press and brake, LOL.
 
Last edited:
Firewolfy said:
Several places are working on the sheet metal quotes still. Can't really push them on quote timing, since there isn't much volume (or profit for them).
I have received 1 prototype quote for several of the sheet metal parts. Based on that it will be around $700 per complete sheet metal set (chassis, divider, front, cover, SSD bracket) for a 2 set prototype run. That is a bit rich for my blood, especially since cables, hardware and assembly aren't included, so I'm hoping some of the other fabrication houses will do better.
Click to expand...

That sounds quite realistic. Maybe you're lucky and one company will go a fair bit lower, but setup costs are high, even without custom dies and all that sort of thing.

is finishing included or will you be doing a bare metal prototype first?
 
Got my Corsair SF600 SFX PSU in today (the one I won in the smallformfactor.net giveaway I entered on a whim…). SO freaking tiny…! I have never seen/held a SFX PSU in person, so I really did not know how SMALL they actually are…!

Now just gonna start collecting the rest of the components & crossing my fingers for the MI-6 to go into a limited production run at some point, for a (fairly) reasonable price…!!!

No pressure, Firewolfy…! ;^p
 
Last edited:
Oh man, that corsair sounds sweet. -- I grabbed a cheapo SFX for fit checks a few months ago, I had the same reaction. All PSUs should be SFX, ATX is such a waste of space!

Yeah, working away at the quoting...
 
A couple of questions…!

Firewolfy said:
untitled.257c.jpg

  • Easy access top-mounted USB 3.0 jacks and audio.
Click to expand...

When you look for quotes on the USB 3.0 ports, maybe look for the ones that the NCASE M1 are now using…?

From the NCASE M1 thread:

M1 v5:
  • Front USB 3.0 ports cleaner look (removed port edges flanges), color changed from blue to black.

Firewolfy said:
  • Accepts full-height, 1 or 2-slot (1.7”, 43mm), ITX-sized GPUs or other PCIE card up to 7.4” (188mm) long, with clearance for PEG connectors.
High end GPUs that will fit:
  • GeForce GTX 970 GPUs:
Asus GTX970-DCMOC-4GD5
Click to expand...

This is a taller card, measuring 4.8" / 122mm; will the power cable be able to be connected without the wires being bent over too much or jammed up against the top of the chassis…?

Thank you, Firewolfy…!
 
Boil said:
A couple of questions…!



When you look for quotes on the USB 3.0 ports, maybe look for the ones that the NCASE M1 are now using…?

From the NCASE M1 thread:

M1 v5:
  • Front USB 3.0 ports cleaner look (removed port edges flanges), color changed from blue to black.



This is a taller card, measuring 4.8" / 122mm; will the power cable be able to be connected without the wires being bent over too much or jammed up against the top of the chassis…?

Thank you, Firewolfy…!
Click to expand...


Boil,

I like the black USB ports, so I'll check that. I haven't seen any without the flanges on them tho.

As far as GPU space, here is the vertical space available from the bottom of the card edge to the inside top of the case:

MI-6%20%20GPU%20ht%20envelope.jpg


The GPU is plugged into the PCI connector, but I hid PCIE connector in this view so we can see the card edge. Looks like about 3/4" room from the top of the 4.8" card, which will be plenty.
 
Super awesome…! No clearance issues or cramped quarters is a good thing…!
 
Hey Firewolfy,

I have a question. I was checking out this case along with Hahutzy's case since both of your cases are so similar besides the psu difference. Have you checked if your case would fit comfortably in a bookbag? That would be great for portability and bringing it along to places. Please let me know. Thanks!
 
TheDrifter363 said:
Hey Firewolfy,

I have a question. I was checking out this case along with Hahutzy's case since both of your cases are so similar besides the psu difference. Have you checked if your case would fit comfortably in a bookbag? That would be great for portability and bringing it along to places. Please let me know. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hey drifter,
Well, it isn't a htpc, and is 5.3" wide, but it will fit in a backpack. I grabbed the old workhorse case I started with and a backpack and tried it.

Here is the OLD workhorse case (5.2w x 8.5d x 10h):
IMG_20151026_220950_840.jpg

Here are some pics of the fit, with some books and such so you can gauge sizes. Those 2 books together are 3" thick, and the inside of the packback is about 6", so the case fits with some room around it.
IMG_20160520_162014_831.jpg
IMG_20160520_162204_041.jpg
IMG_20160520_162219_860.jpg


Hope that helps ya
 
Never mind… Crazy thoughts… I have come to my senses…! ;^p
 
Last edited:
Hey Firewolfy,

I am not trying to push you by any mean, just a question that if you have any estimated time to release your case for sale? I am on the process to get Dan A4 case but if your project is willing to finish soon I am gonna skip the Dan A4 since I want to support US-based projects.
 
baonguyen312 said:
Hey Firewolfy,

I am not trying to push you by any mean, just a question that if you have any estimated time to release your case for sale? I am on the process to get Dan A4 case but if your project is willing to finish soon I am gonna skip the Dan A4 since I want to support US-based projects.
Click to expand...

Well, i don't have a solid schedule. I was hoping to make some decisions this spring, but time seems to fly when working on quotes and tweaking details to improve capability and manufacturability.

I'm having 2-3 prototypes built within the next 30 days, so stay tuned and we'll see how it goes.

I do have to say that the A4 is a fantastic case, and you wouldn't go wrong if you chose it.

Thx
 
  • Like
Reactions: Boil
like this
Firewolfy said:
Well, i don't have a solid schedule. I was hoping to make some decisions this spring, but time seems to fly when working on quotes and tweaking details to improve capability and manufacturability.

I'm having 2-3 prototypes built within the next 30 days, so stay tuned and we'll see how it goes.

I do have to say that the A4 is a fantastic case, and you wouldn't go wrong if you chose it.

Thx
Click to expand...

Looking forward to seeing pics of the prototypes when available…!!!

I JUST figured out how to route my cables for the MB & CPU…! Gonna need to place a plastic sheet behind the MB, and origami both cables between the MB & MB tray, thus also taking up the extra length that they have… Plastic sheet to protect cables from any damage by any possible jaggies solder spots on the backside of the MB…
 
Since you have been studying the idea, are there places you think tie down mounts should go?
 
Firewolfy said:
Since you have been studying the idea, are there places you think tie down mounts should go?
Click to expand...

I envision punched/pressed-out shallow/widened inverted 'V' tie-downs, keeping in mind to orient 90 degrees from the direction the cable would run. This would be the zip tie tie-down…

You could do punched/pressed-out WIDE & SHALLOW ones instead, more for slotting short velcro cable straps thru… Again, orient 90 degrees from the direction the cable is running…

Two (2) to either side of the 80mm fan, keeping in mind the space needed if someone were to use a SFX-L PSU (but why would they, when the Corsair SF600 is the PERFECT PSU for this chassis).

Two (2) or three (3) running up the front panel on the GPU side, this keeps the cable from being sandwiched between the MB tray/chamber divider & the GPU; the cable route would be from PSU to tie-downs alongside fan & up the front panel to GPU power connector…

Two (2) running up the front panel on the MB chamber, alongside the lower front drive mount…

A grid of six (6), two (2) wide & three (3) high; two (2) along the lower edge of the MB, two (2) along the upper edge of the MB, & two (2) in the middle zone of the MB tray.

Example of MB tray run; for the 24-pin…

Out from PSU, ribbon cable (again, Corsair SF600) FOLDED over 180 degrees so it is 90 degrees from original direction, towards MB tray. Then BENT at 90 degrees so it changes direction to run up under the lower edge of the MB. Some more 180 degree fold-overs, some zigging and zagging under said MB, popping out right next to 24-pin connector on MB & rolled thru 270 degrees to plug into MB…

Repeat for CPU power cable; routing, bending & folding as needed…

Tie-downs on upper edge of MB tray can also be used to route power switch cable front rear of chassis to front, where most MBs have said connection. The routing along the top edge of MB would have any cables there going UNDER the PCIe riser cable…

USB cable is a whole other issue, as they are usually not very bendy & such… Also will need to source shorter than usual, rather than have extra non-flex cable littering the chassis innards…

My MB of choice, the Asus ROG Maximus VIII Impact has the USB header literally right next to the front/top I/O section; so an ULTRA short cable would be my wish. Look at the gamut of modern mITX MBs, and plan for the length to accommodate the furthest out USB header…

Same goes for audio cable, long enough to reach furthest MB audio connection, but no more…

All prospective tie-down points avoid attaching anything to the top/side panel inverted-U assembly, as that is a one piece removable item…

I had been eyeing the plastic sticky clips over on the Icemodz website. Items such as this would avoid any extra fabrication steps, which would only result in a higher production cost…?

My two (2) cents, hope it helps…! ;^p
 
Thx for routing ideas!
I am going to be building a new computer for myself soon, so I think I might build up the 1st prototype case that comes thru, hopefully within a month.
You know, the cable runs can be so short I think I will try to do custom cable lengths. --Getting a crimper, pins and sockets and such.
 
Firewolfy said:
Thx for routing ideas!
I am going to be building a new computer for myself soon, so I think I might build up the 1st prototype case that comes thru, hopefully within a month.
You know, the cable runs can be so short I think I will try to do custom cable lengths. --Getting a crimper, pins and sockets and such.
Click to expand...

If funds allow, I might just spring for a set of custom cables for the Corsair SF600 from Custom Corsair SF Series Cables, just hope the 24-pin is doable with it being such a short run; like, 10 to 12cm end-to-end (including the connectors) is probably a good length…

I also thought about modding the cables that come with the PSU, but that funky 24-pin scares me…! And by the time I get a decent set of wire strippers & crimpers, I would be at least half way to the cost of a set of custom cables anyway… Plus, custom sleeved cables that I do not have to make will look better & be much easier for me… I am lazy about some things…! ;^p
 
Firewolfy said:
Since there are now 5 mfgrs (Gigabyte, XFX, ASUS, EVGA, Sapphire) offering m-ITX models covering GTX960, 970, R9-380, Nano and R9-285…
Click to expand...

I am wondering who will be the first to offer a mITX GTX1070; or, dare I dream, a 1080…!

Obviously it won't be Sapphire or XFX… I am leaning towards Asus, maybe they will offer a ROG branded GTX1080; "look at us! Leet ROG gaming gear in the ultra small mITX format… LOOK…!"…

I feel that all future nVidia mITX cards should be labeled differently than the GTX models… Ex. - ITX1070… or iGTX1070…?!? ;^p
 
I haven't seen any hints from mfgrs yet on itx sized 1070, 1080 yet. Gigabyte has done several itx gpus, so my money is on them.
 
Asus has had mITX models for the 950s, 960s, & 970s, all sharing a similar outer housing/appearance (but the 970 being the only model with the vapor chamber cooling setup); I am hoping they continue with a mITX GTX1070…!
 
The problem is that nVidia specifically said that the improvements they made for signal integrity for GDDR5X on the 1080 are carried over to the 1070, so it's not as simple as just getting the old PCB design and modifying it a bit, it might be that the board needs a few more layers and completely new routing, so it could take a bit longer for ITX 1070s to be released. And if we're extremely unlucky, no manufacturer will feel that it's viable in the first place, so the best ITX 10 series card could be the 1060 (whenever that's released). Fortunately, it looks like AMD will have our backs this time around.
 
Now the race is on; which will come first…?!?

The MI-6 chassis, available for limited production run & sales…

Or…

The mITX-sized GeForce GTX1070 GPU…

Time will tell…!!! ;^p

I got my eye on the Asus GTX970 DCMOC, but for a few bucks more I could get a (theoretical at this point) GTX1070…

Or, I could get an EVGA GTX960 (4GB RAM version) for about 200 bucks & wait out the (eventual) release of a mITX-sized 1070…

Regardless of which GPU, I still need a chassis to place it in…!!!
 
Okay, I am thinking the best possible combination of heat sink & fan for the CPU may be the Thermalright AXP-100 heat sink & one of the forthcoming Noctua slim fans; supposedly, 120mm x 15mm late 2016 & 140mm x 15mm in 2017…

The Thermalright AXP-100 is 44mm tall without its included 100mm x 14mm fan. It comes with a bracket to allow 120mm or 140mm fans rather than the stock one, said bracket has to be about 2mm thick…? Add in a Noctua slim at 15mm, you are sitting at a total height of 61mm…?
 
Boil said:
Motherboard selection just blew wide open…!

Intel bridges the U.2 gap with an M.2 cable for its 750 Series SSD

ssdu2.jpg


And now the majority of the cable can now be tucked away behind the MB, rather than draped across the entire frontside of the MB like with the Asus M8I…

Now the question is; go money saving with the Gigabyte H170 MB, or look at the Asus Pro Gaming MB…?
Click to expand...

Good to see a config that increases flexibility instead of defining yet another interface/connector!

Man I don't know what to tell ya on the MB choice. I was thinking that giga with that angled SATA-E jack takes up too much space and prevents a SSD/HDD at the upper mount. So it was off my nice list. BUUUUT, now that that SATA-E isn't even used, there is no reason not to love the giga too.

As far as the H170, I thought the H vs Z gave up overclocking or something like that... Correct me if I'm wrong...
 
Okay, from the Noctua website, in regards to showings at the latest Computex:

…the slim 120x15mm fan project, which was at the prototype stage last year, have now reached pre-production and are scheduled for launch in late 2016. While the slim 120 and 140mm models will provide new possibilities in designing high-performance, low-profile CPU coolers…

So, maybe we can hope for an all Noctua HSF solution that conveniently comes in at 63mm tall including 120mm fan…?!? ;^p
 
Firewolfy said:
Good to see a config that increases flexibility instead of defining yet another interface/connector!

Man I don't know what to tell ya on the MB choice. I was thinking that giga with that angled SATA-E jack takes up too much space and prevents a SSD/HDD at the upper mount. So it was off my nice list. BUUUUT, now that that SATA-E isn't even used, there is no reason not to love the giga too.

As far as the H170, I thought the H vs Z gave up overclocking or something like that... Correct me if I'm wrong...
Click to expand...

You are correct, but I plan on using the i5 6500 @ 3.2GHz, which is not a K-series CPU, therefore not overclockable…
 
chx said:
I told you in the other thread: not "blew open". M.2 to U.2 has been available for some time now.
Click to expand...

Very much blown wide open in context to the chassis this thread is about… If I wanted to use the Intel 750-series 2.5" SSD in this chassis, I would have to use the Asus M8I… Now, because I can use any mITX with a 2280 M.2 slot on the backside, the selection has blown wide open…!
 
Boil said:
Motherboard selection just blew wide open…!

Intel bridges the U.2 gap with an M.2 cable for its 750 Series SSD

ssdu2.jpg


And now the majority of the cable can now be tucked away behind the MB, rather than draped across the entire frontside of the MB like with the Asus M8I…

Now the question is; go money saving with the Gigabyte H170 MB, or look at the Asus Pro Gaming MB…?
Click to expand...


Anyone verify yet that that M.2 board assembly is less than 1/4" thick to fit on the back of the MB? It's hard to tell from the pic, and I haven't found any other pics yet that are any better.

On the MI-6 there is a big cutout to access the MB from the back, but right now it is not in the same place as the M8i M.2 jack. A cut out would yield an extra 2mm for the divider thickness and some of the GPU-side space (5mm).
 
Firewolfy said:
Anyone verify yet that that M.2 board assembly is less than 1/4" thick to fit on the back of the MB? It's hard to tell from the pic, and I haven't found any other pics yet that are any better.

On the MI-6 there is a big cutout to access the MB from the back, but right now it is not in the same place as the M8i M.2 jack. A cut out would yield an extra 2mm for the divider thickness and some of the GPU-side space (5mm).
Click to expand...

I do not know yet if the new Intel cable is slim enough of a package to fit under the MB, but I would think that is exactly what Intel is aiming at, as the vast majority of SFF MBs have their M.2 slots on the MB backside…

As for the second sentence, I am confused… You reference the M8I (as is Asus Maximus VIII Impact mITX MB, I assume…) but you also reference its M.2 jack (slot…?), which the M8I does not have, it has the U.2 port on the frontside of the MB, lined up with the board I/O…

I believe you meant to reference backside-mounted M.2 slots in general…? These all tend to be alongside the PCIe slot, see the MB cutout for the NCase M1, and flip that on the horizontal…

Lurking the thread regular for any updates on those prototypes…! ;^p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top