CCD MI-6: Performance in a 6.7L MIcrotower

I’m looking forward to batch 2 and was reading about it on the case by case design website.
“For the second production run the exterior colors will likely be Black Powder Coat for the cover, and Brushed Natural Anodized Aluminum for the top plate.”

Does this mean that all the cases for the second production run will have top plates that don’t match the color of the cover?

I hope there is an option to match the color of the top plate and the cover.
 
I’m looking forward to batch 2 and was reading about it on the case by case design website.
“For the second production run the exterior colors will likely be Black Powder Coat for the cover, and Brushed Natural Anodized Aluminum for the top plate.”

Does this mean that all the cases for the second production run will have top plates that don’t match the color of the cover?

I hope there is an option to match the color of the top plate and the cover.

I have to agree with that. I got one from the first batch that is powder coated for both the cover and top, not sure I would like the natural top.
 
I’m looking forward to batch 2 and was reading about it on the case by case design website.
“For the second production run the exterior colors will likely be Black Powder Coat for the cover, and Brushed Natural Anodized Aluminum for the top plate.”

Does this mean that all the cases for the second production run will have top plates that don’t match the color of the cover?

I hope there is an option to match the color of the top plate and the cover.

I hadn't thought about that as an option, but it is easy. Good idea.
 
Loft:
The top case expansion is not yet fully defined, but this is the sort of thing I have so far:

View attachment 71578

This would be an add-on part to enable use of a 120mm or 2 92mm fans, up to 25mm thick. Let me know what you think.

Ok, did some torture tests today to check the viability of the top expansion option.

View attachment 71819

5°C improvement with the loft and 120x25 fan, versus the standard top. Not as great a drop as I'd like, but measurable and useful.

I included some overclocking to try to tax the loft and 120x25 fan. Temp came down 4C to 81C at 4.6GHz (max stable overclocking with 1.375V or less for long CPU life). 81C is not bad at all for a Prime64 8 thread torture. Got a 7% gain in Passmark CPU score.

So the loft is a go. As I showed on previous posts, it will be able to hold a 120x25 fan or two 92x25 fans. I'll also work in second taller version for radiator/fan combos.

How about temp testing with dual 92x25mm A9s...?

More square inches of coverage & more airflow..?!?
 
Slight thread crap (sorry Fire!) but I figured I'd let those following along in here know: I'll be putting my CCD MI-6 (SN #14) up for sale on the forum by the end of this week as I need to start consolidating equipment. I've got one of the later-shipped cases with "minimalist" front and black powder coated exterior panels. PM me if you missed out on the first order and might be interested!

Pics in my last post here: CCD MI-6: Performance in less than 7L
 
Slight thread crap (sorry Fire!) but I figured I'd let those following along in here know: I'll be putting my CCD MI-6 (SN #14) up for sale on the forum by the end of this week as I need to start consolidating equipment. I've got one of the later-shipped cases with "minimalist" front and black powder coated exterior panels. PM me if you missed out on the first order and might be interested!

Pics in my last post here: CCD MI-6: Performance in less than 7L
Well rounded build. Curious if it's all going for sale.
 

Firewolfy

Any new updates on the MI-6...?

Very curious on any more reports of those using the Noctua NH-L12S; I know TekEverything got it working (but he also said it was slightly bent at the heat pipes), just curious for other feedback on this heat sink in the MI-6 chassis...

Also wanting more info on the 'Loft'...!
 
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Hey Boil,

Here is the latest on the MI-6 Second Edition: changes, improvements and accessories, and some costing I got finalized: (I put some updates on the webpage and SFF too).



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The 3.5" HDD mount probably won't get a lot of interest, but it was easy and should be cheap, -should be less than $10.

6A8yHQt.png

There are 2 loft heights you see there. The lofts have a few mm extra distance between the fan blades and the slots to reduce noise. The top plate used is the original one supplied with the case. Right now, the loft has some long screws to attach it to the case, but I have an idea to have a friction fit top plate to simplify and shorten the screws. The twin 92mm fans are a bit big for the vent size but still should move a lot of air.


Oh, and I finalized the costing for the next batch:
SE Minimalist Case $185 (was $210 in batch 1).
SE Case with Front I/O $199 (was $235 in batch 1).
I got the price down some, woo hoo! I guess the price of alum is going up, so the price drop isn't as good as I had hoped.
 
Really exciting stuff and great work. I really enjoy the options made available for the user! Even the option to throw in a 12TB HDD :LOL:
 
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Is that the MB 24-pin you have bound up like a Japanese schoolgirl in the pic of the CPU side…? If so, impressive work getting that big hunk of cable into such a neat bundle…

You should, at some point, pull the PSU cables (the ones bundled & bound) and take a few multi-angle shots (maybe lay a scale/rule in the shot as well; you can pretend you are taking pics for CSI…) so those of us with Corsair SF-series SFX PSUs might take advantage of your advance origami work…!

Yes, I will pull the cables at some point and get some pics and measurements.

I put a build video on the webpage. Here's a link.
The cables are the worst part of course. I'll need to get custom cables and do another video someday.

??? ;^p
 
I’m curious if anybody has tried the gigabyte GTX 1080 mini ITX in this case. If anybody has, how are the temps?
 
I’m curious if anybody has tried the gigabyte GTX 1080 mini ITX in this case. If anybody has, how are the temps?

MI-6 user with the GTX 1080 out of the Aorus eGPU kit...

eOIAcYl.jpg


I have speculated that particular GPU might be the current 'Top Dog' for GPUs in the MI-6 chassis...

It is a bare heat sink (the eGPU enclosure is the shroud) with a whopping 130mm fan...

Would be interesting to see a shoot-out between the above 1080 & the PowerColor Vega Nano (RX Vega 56), as those are the two top-end GPUs that will fit in the MI-6...

I would remove the shroud from the Vega Nano, trim the heat sink fins to fit a NF-A12x15 PWM fan, which would be hooked in to the GPU fan header with the proper adapter cable; I would also remount the heat sink with some Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut & replace the stock thermal pads with Thermal Grizzly minus8 pads...

I would definitely get a Loft & have a NF-A12x25 'Sterrox' PWM fan on exhaust duties...

I know Gigabyte also makes the 'regular' GTX 1080 Mini ITX, but this is the 'better' version of that, from a usage case with the MI-6 chassis...
 
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Wow that is some crazy efficiency. Do want. Heck I don't even need it to be a 1080 haha.
 
Hey Boil,

Here is the latest on the MI-6 Second Edition: changes...

View attachment 84072

View attachment 84073

View attachment 84075
There are 2 loft heights you see there. The lofts have a few mm extra distance between the fan blades and the slots to reduce noise. The top plate used is the original one supplied with the case. Right now, the loft has some long screws to attach it to the case, but I have an idea to have a friction fit top plate to simplify and shorten the screws. The twin 92mm fans are a bit big for the vent size but still should move a lot of air.


Oh, and I finalized the costing for the next batch:
SE Minimalist Case $185 (was $210 in batch 1).
I got the price down some, woo hoo! I guess the price of alum is going up, so the price drop isn't as good as I had hoped.

Firewolfy

Possibility of silver exterior shell & loft, with black divider / exhaust fan mount plate & black top plate...?

And black feet...?

If 120x25mm exhaust fan is pushed as far to the back as it will go in the Loft, might the front I/O & power button fit in the front of the Loft...?!?

(.. gotta leave the front of the exterior shell clean so it is a suitable canvas for a custom laser etched graphic...)

You are going to a circular vent pattern for the bottom intake fan, how about the same for the PSU intake venting (properly centered for the 92mm Corsair SF-series PSUs)...?

Any further testing to verify if the Noctua NH-L12S (with AM4 mount) is a viable solution for the MI-6..?

It really seems the best solution for cooling, and the bottom mount fan should eliminate any fan turbulence noise...?

Might a steel construction reduce cost (at the expense of adding weight)...?

I definitely want to get in on the Second Edition, with a Short Loft...!
 
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Firewolfy, I'm sure you've mentioned this, but will the new lofts and 3.5" bracket be compatible with the first generation cases?

P.S. Thanks for shipping the 2.5" HDD bracket out to me so quickly.
 
I put my comments inline in your post below--

Firewolfy

Possibility of silver exterior shell & loft, with black divider / exhaust fan mount plate & black top plate...?

And black feet...?

The shell will only have powdercoat, no brushed anodizing, but I could do silver color powdercoat if there was interest.
And black feet are an idea, a good idea.


If 120x25mm exhaust fan is pushed as far to the back as it will go in the Loft, might the front I/O & power button fit in the front of the Loft...?!?

(.. gotta leave the front of the exterior shell clean so it is a suitable canvas for a custom laser etched graphic...)

The I/O board could fit. I'm going to do some work on adding I/O to the loft, but I don't have anything final yet.

You are going to a circular vent pattern for the bottom intake fan, how about the same for the PSU intake venting (properly centered for the 92mm Corsair SF-series PSUs)...?

I'm leaving the original PSU vent pattern, since some SFX PSUs have offset fans and such.

Any further testing to verify if the Noctua NH-L12S (with AM4 mount) is a viable solution for the MI-6..?

It really seems the best solution for cooling, and the bottom mount fan should eliminate any fan turbulence noise...?

No, I don't have a L12S to test. If anyone has one, we'd all love to see performance info in the MI-6.

Might a steel construction reduce cost (at the expense of adding weight)...?

Yeah, steel would be cheaper, but I love working with aluminum -- no worries about rust, the case can be lighter, and the thicker aluminum panels give the case a substantial feel.

I definitely want to get in on the Second Edition, with a Short Loft...!

Good to hear!
 
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Firewolfy, I'm sure you've mentioned this, but will the new lofts and 3.5" bracket be compatible with the first generation cases?

P.S. Thanks for shipping the 2.5" HDD bracket out to me so quickly.

Yes, the lofts and 3.5 bracket will fit the first and second editions. Glad to hear you got the shipment.
 
Firewolfy
Possibility of silver exterior shell & loft, with black divider / exhaust fan mount plate & black top plate...?

And black feet...?

The shell will only have powdercoat, no brushed anodizing, but I could do silver color powdercoat if there was interest.
And black feet are an idea, a good idea.

What, no Apple-esque sandblasted finish...!?! ;^p

(...the graphic I would want to laser etch onto the front panel...)

xy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.todayifoundout.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F05%2Fapple-logo.jpg
 
I’m curious if anybody has tried the gigabyte GTX 1080 mini ITX in this case. If anybody has, how are the temps?

Sorry for the late answer.

The GTX 1080 stays under ~75/80°C with the stock cooler shroud, but is very loud.
I changed the stock fan for a Noctua NF-A9x14, which is held on by 4 bended paper clips.
It's much quieter now, temps don't go over 84°C, but there is a whistling sound when the side-panel is attached, because the fan is very close to the mesh, maybe touching it. That's why I have the "barebone" chassis on my desk now.
Noctua.jpg
All these temps are on stock clock speeds, I couldn't manage to oc my 1080, since every increase in clock or memory speed would crash my PC.

If somebody is a watercooling-friend, this waterblock might be worth a look:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LN0VGY4/?tag=theminutiae-20

Together with a 120mm rad in the new loft and a small pump-res-combo, you could watercool your Gigabyte GTX 1070 or 1080, for better temps, noise, and oc-potential


As a side node, I was invited to an oldschool-LAN-party some weeks ago, and the case had a fantastic effect on the other people, because nobody could imagine a full PC in this small form factor.
 
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Sorry for the late answer.

The GTX 1080 stays under ~75/80°C with the stock cooler shroud, but is very loud.
I changed the stock fan for a Noctua NF-A9x14, which is held on by 4 bended paper clips.
It's much quieter now, temps don't go over 84°C, but there is a whistling sound when the side-panel is attached, because the fan is very close to the mesh, maybe touching it. That's why I have the "barebone" chassis on my desk now.

View attachment 86894

All these temps are on stock clock speeds, I couldn't manage to oc my 1080, since every increase in clock or memory speed would crash my PC.

If somebody is a watercooling-friend, this waterblock might be worth a look:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LN0VGY4/?tag=theminutiae-20

Together with a 120mm rad in the new loft and a small pump-res-combo, you could watercool your Gigabyte GTX 1070 or 1080, for better temps, noise, and oc-potential


As a side node, I was invited to an oldschool-LAN-party some weeks ago, and the case had a fantastic effect on the other people, because nobody could imagine a full PC in this small form factor.

With GPU temps above 80 degrees, I get concerned that the GPU might throttle itself. Have you observed your GPU thermally throttling?

I really like your replacement of the stock fan. Now I wonder if any slim 120mm fans would fit, and if they would improve temps or noise.

In regards to your LAN party, I had a similar experience when I showed up with my NCase M1 a few years back. It was funny seeing my friends struggle in with their full tower behemoths and I walk in with a duffle bag, and my computer was the highest performing one in the room. My friends’ giant monstrosities had a large impact on me getting in to this whole SFF thing.
 
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With GPU temps above 80 degrees, I get concerned that the GPU might throttle itself. Have you observed your GPU thermally throttling?

I really like your replacement of the stock fan. Now I wonder if any slim 120mm fans would fit, and if they would improve temps or noise.

I didn't notice any throttling while gaming, but just to be sure I just ran Heaven Benchmark three times. It started with 55°C and around 1860 MHz, and ended after the third run with 78°C and an average of around 1797 MHz. But I think this depended on the load on the GPU, since I still saw some scenes of the benchmark where the 1080 was over 1.8 GHz, even in the third run where it started to get toasty...

I also did screenshots of the benchmark results, but... yeah, I think something got mixed up... (from left to right: run 1 to 3)
Benchmark.jpg

As you can see, the second run got a better score than the first one, but the GPU was already at 74°C (Might be because of a bug that sometimes heaven benchmark gets locked at 60 FPS...)

During gaming, as far as I know, the GPU always stays above 1800 MHz, no matter what the temps are. And regarding that the GPUs boost clock is rated at 1771 MHz by Gigabyte, I would say that it doesn't throttle at all...


For the fan, I had a similar idea before I settled with the Noctua fan. But after removing the original shroud, I saw the problem (click on the thumbnail for a bigger picture):
Heatsink.jpg

The heatsink has kind of steps in it... the smallest and thinnest area is where the original fan is mounted on. The next area is enough space for the fan blades, and a little bit over 92mm wide. Which means, that the only fan that would fit onto the GPU and into the MI-6 at the same time, is the NF-A9x14...

I also had the idea to sand down the fins to the left and right of the fan, so the middle area would be bigger, and a 120mm slim fan could fit, but unfortunately the farthest left and farthest right heat pipe is too close to the fins, and I couldn't sand the heatsink down enough without destroying the heat pipes...

The best solution for an air cooled GTX 1080 in the MI-6 would be the Gaming Box Version of the card, like it's shown in post #1182. The 130mm fan would cool the GPU far better than the 92mm small Noctua, and be maybe even a bit quieter doing so. I contacted the Gigabyte Support and asked them if they would sell the fan shroud of the Gaming Box Version of the 1080 as a replacement part, so I could mount it on my regular GTX 1080... but they didn't quite understand my problem, and just said that it would woid my guarantee if I disassembled my Gaming Box... (Which I don't even have...)

For fan controlling, I first had it attached to a 4-pin motherboard connector, running the fan constantly at full speed. Later, I bought this adapter:
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B005ZKZEQA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My fan curve is a plain line from 0°/0% to 50°/70%, and then the fan speed stays at 70%, since the Noctua doesn't accelerate further from this point.


In regards to your LAN party, I had a similar experience when I showed up with my NCase M1 a few years back. It was funny seeing my friends struggle in with their full tower behemoths and I walk in with a duffle bag, and my computer was the highest performing one in the room. My friends’ giant monstrosities had a large impact on me getting in to this whole SFF thing.

Yes, it was exactly the same for me. The biggest device for me was my monitor, the MI-6 literally fits into one of those folding boxes, together with all cables and peripherals... and it still was more powerfull than any other huge tower standing there. IMO this WOW-effect is by far the best part of the MI-6
 
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A bit of news on the pre-ordering I posted on the webpage today --

As of July 8th, there are 50 pre-orders so far for the 100-case next batch. The pre-order list will stay open and the new target date is the END OF JULY to start taking payments and kick off production.

I've been ramping up my new twitter site, so that should help getting the word out.
 
A bit of news on the pre-ordering I posted on the webpage today --

As of July 8th, there are 50 pre-orders so far for the 100-case next batch. The pre-order list will stay open and the new target date is the END OF JULY to start taking payments and kick off production.

I've been ramping up my new twitter site, so that should help getting the word out.

Good news Fire, glad to see you have half of your pre-orders already. Hope production on this run goes smooth.
 
Cooling Update -- Corsair 120mm AIO Tested

I installed the AIO on my i7-6700k in a surrogate tall loft (cardboard, lol) and tested it stock, and also with overclocking. I added the results to a previous plot. The new data is in yellow.
 

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Cooling Update -- Corsair 120mm AIO Tested

I installed the AIO on my i7-6700k in a surrogate tall loft (cardboard, lol) and tested it stock, and also with overclocking. I added the results to a previous plot. The new data is in yellow.

What AIO did you install?
 
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