![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
M600 Case - A Mini Steambox?
- Thread starter Screes
- Start date
This sounds like a pretty good idea. I mentioned this idea in this thread before, but I assumed Runamok's idea was more "space efficient". The DC-board might be too tall for that section, but it's still an idea worth trying.
Last edited:
rawrr said:
Dunno yet. Depends on GPU orientation. But, I will be swapping mine for one with a right-angle to help on space.
No, I don't have all the parts yet. Working on positioning the bigger pieces first. Hesitant to mount the DC board until I'm certain that all parts fit and that's the final position. Per suggestions, the Noctua L9i is on order. Would like to see if a 25mm thick fan will fit between it and the top panel. Thank you for the heads up on Newegg stock. Order placed. GPU inbound. Newegg says ETA is 3 business days, but I believe it when I see it! Amazon said two weeks.
DonDan said:
That's another solid idea. Thank you. I will give this a go. Getting the PSU out of the GPU side and into CPU will help the heat situation. 145w TDP versus 84W TDP. Will attempt and report back.
Noctua L9I arrived. Gallery updated.
Premium packaging as always from Notcua.
Heatsink mounted.
Fan swapped. Amazingly, a standard 120x25mm fan will fit above the heatsink without binding. Thanks for the suggestion, Screes!
Notice the blue tape covering the IO ports of a flipped fasica? At one point I attempted to position the PSU above the motherboard. No joy on that, too tight. Height of board + power cables.
But, moving the PSU into the space between the CPU and GPU seems feasible.
Also on order.
SSD - M.2 Transcend MTS800
CPU - Intel I5 4690K
RAM - Crucial Ballistix 1.35V DDR3 Very Low Profile
Premium packaging as always from Notcua.
Heatsink mounted.
Fan swapped. Amazingly, a standard 120x25mm fan will fit above the heatsink without binding.
Thanks for the suggestion, Screes!Notice the blue tape covering the IO ports of a flipped fasica? At one point I attempted to position the PSU above the motherboard. No joy on that, too tight. Height of board + power cables.
But, moving the PSU into the space between the CPU and GPU seems feasible.
Also on order.
SSD - M.2 Transcend MTS800
CPU - Intel I5 4690K
RAM - Crucial Ballistix 1.35V DDR3 Very Low Profile
I've got a plan for that.
CPU, SSD, and this beauty arrived today.
For the rest of the build, I will create a build thread proper. Thanks all for suggestions and help! Wish me luck!
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Build thread on Overclock.net
This picture, is it photo-shopped, or did you alter the bracket on the graphics card in some fashion to make it fit in upside down without modding the back of the case? I'm really curious how this picture looks this way and how you did it.
It almost looks like you took the pci bracket off the graphics card and flipped it. But since the double bracket isn't the same on top/bottom you'd have to cut the two apart and put them back on separately. Or modify the bracket, or find a different bracket. Again, really curious how you did this.
Last edited:
Not shopped. The GPU IO panel was removed and flipped. Here are some pictures which may help explain.
The panel is flipped above. You can see that the orignal mounting lip is now pointing inward. The leg that was used to mount the panel to board (now unused) is pointing outward (on right). We can secure lateral movement of the card by cinching it -> | <- with the cases existing mounting mechanism.
Above you can see the only physical modification needed. Running along the top of the GPU IO panel is an L-shaped angle. This angle must be flattened to mount flush. I'm no engineer but, two blocks of wood, and one hammer makes L -> I
The panel is flipped above. You can see that the orignal mounting lip is now pointing inward. The leg that was used to mount the panel to board (now unused) is pointing outward (on right). We can secure lateral movement of the card by cinching it -> | <- with the cases existing mounting mechanism.
Above you can see the only physical modification needed. Running along the top of the GPU IO panel is an L-shaped angle. This angle must be flattened to mount flush. I'm no engineer but, two blocks of wood, and one hammer makes L -> I
Last edited:
You sir are a genius!
I was planning this whole elaborate design where I have to cut the rear panel out and flip it and find a way to remount it, and now I just flip a bracket, no cutting involved.
Question: If you take the stock fan off the GPU heat sink, is there enough space above it to fit a 25mm thick fan like the one you have on the CPU heat sink?
I was planning this whole elaborate design where I have to cut the rear panel out and flip it and find a way to remount it, and now I just flip a bracket, no cutting involved.
Question: If you take the stock fan off the GPU heat sink, is there enough space above it to fit a 25mm thick fan like the one you have on the CPU heat sink?
Last edited:
veryrarium
Weaksauce
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2014
- Messages
- 123
Runamok said max 20mm space above the GPU, so the mountability of a 25mm thick fan depends on whether the GPU heatsink fins rise all the way up to the shroud and surround the stock slim fan, or the fin edges are level and even all across the heatsink, and I'm also curious to know the answer.
Hey, nice little build! I have been lurking around for someone to use this exact case for a build like this.
Would you share some pictures of the final build? Maybe a comment about your experiences with the build?
EDIT: Oh, n00b here thought it was an old inactive thread, just realised you are still building. Anyway, looking forward to seeing more progress
Would you share some pictures of the final build? Maybe a comment about your experiences with the build?
EDIT: Oh, n00b here thought it was an old inactive thread, just realised you are still building. Anyway, looking forward to seeing more progress
Yes, the heatsink rises up to surround the stock 92x15mm fan. Here is a profile shot with the shroud and fan removed.
A 120x25mm fan would not fit above the GPU. I tried. The two options here would be a 120x20mm fan or a 92x25mm fan. The 92x25mm works due to the "stepped" construction of the heatsink. Here is the shot of the Noctua NF-A9x14 seated into the lower level.
Ah, the fan orientation above is only to show that a 92mm will nestle down into the stepped heatsink. Wasn't paying attention to airflow direction. I believe -if replaced- we'd want the keep the fan blowing down onto the GPU.
For those considering a GPU fan swap, consider that the stock fan is voltage controlled (3 wire). The replacement fan would need to have a similar fan profile (how to tell?). Also, the stock fan header is non standard and is nestled tightly under the heatsink. You can see it here near the top of the photo.
Looks like the heatsink would need to be removed/repasted if a GPU fan swap was made. But, tough to resist.
Ah, the fan orientation above is only to show that a 92mm will nestle down into the stepped heatsink. Wasn't paying attention to airflow direction. I believe -if replaced- we'd want the keep the fan blowing down onto the GPU.
For those considering a GPU fan swap, consider that the stock fan is voltage controlled (3 wire). The replacement fan would need to have a similar fan profile (how to tell?).
Option 3: Use metal snips to cut the fins down on the heatsink to make room for a 120mm 25mm thick fan.
Also, you don't have to have the fan hooked into the fan header on the GPU. In my current build i just have a 120mm fan ducted onto the GPU heatsink and its just connected straight to a normal 4 pin molex connector on the PSU at a constant fan speed (800rpm).
I may just go with the ZOTAC ZT-90101-10P or the Galax GTX970 OC. It looks like the heatsinks on them are the same height all the way across. The zotac is a little too long (203mm) by default, but i have a feeling if you take the stock fans/shroud off it'll save about an inch and fit. The more i learn about the Gigabyte 970 itx card, the more i don't like about it.
Last edited:
The zotac has the reference short pcb - ~175 mm. The cooler shroud just extends over the end quite a bit. So taking it off/cutting it a bit would let the card fit!
The only problem i can see with using the Galaxy or the Zotac is you'll need to modify a bracket if you want to switch its orientation since its not symmetrical like the Gigabyte pci bracket. I may just buy a blank double bracket and mod the i/o holes into it for what i need.
I wonder if it might be possible to get someone from these forums with the ability to make something like this to do either custom orders or small batch orders for pci brackets that flip the orientation of the graphics card for different graphics card i/o's.
I wonder if it might be possible to get someone from these forums with the ability to make something like this to do either custom orders or small batch orders for pci brackets that flip the orientation of the graphics card for different graphics card i/o's.
Last edited:
notarat
2[H]4U
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2010
- Messages
- 2,501
I found this tonight: http://www.logicsupply.com/components/cases/expandable/mc600/
Dimensions (WxHxD) 334 x 64 x 198 mm / 13.1 x 2.5 x 7.8"
It's 4.2L large. You lose the internal PSU capability from the prototype steam enclosure Valve made, but if you can power it with an external brick then its got the form factor.
You could use a Pico PSU with an AC adapter like this which would give you enough power for a 65w intel CPU and a 75w GPU: http://www.mini-box.com/12v-16A-AC-DC-Power-Adapter
Then if you want a faster GPU, just buy a second AC adapter, and hook the 12v line straight to the PCI-E plugs on the graphics cards. Might have to make a custom adapter to go from the 4pin plug to the PCI-E plugs.
So far this is the closest I've found to a console sized pc case that can fit a dual width full height graphics card.
I have the MC500 (and I like it quite a bit)
I also have the Pico PSU and it's been great as well. (I have the 60w and a 110w)
CknSalad
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- May 27, 2014
- Messages
- 442
Has anybody tried to do a revision of the Neutronium v4? I know this is off topic, but it would be awesome to see a 3.5-3.8L custom case made.
Has anybody tried to do a revision of the Neutronium v4? I know this is off topic, but it would be awesome to see a 3.5-3.8L custom case made.
I was planning on making a Neutronium-esque case myself, but ended up going towards a different layout.
However, I think the M600 serves perfectly well. It has the same layout, and more space for the PSU (something I know Machupo had trouble with in his). All at the expense of being a little bit bigger.
It probably isn't worth going to the efforts of scratch-building a case when cutting a few holes in the M600 will do - look at MertArm's build, which is going on pretty well.
CknSalad
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- May 27, 2014
- Messages
- 442
If you don't mind me asking, what was the volume or dimensions you ended up having for your case layout? I would opt for a power-board/external power brick solution if only this was just $30 or so more over an sfx/sfx-l psu. Also the fact that users are limited to a 330w dell power brick is annoying.
Hopefully, maybe manufacturers catch on that people may want a Steam Machine PC case and then there would be more choices to choose from.
Hopefully, maybe manufacturers catch on that people may want a Steam Machine PC case and then there would be more choices to choose from.
I'm still planning and designing, but right now the dimensions are 191x190x90, all in millimetres. That yields a volume of ~3.3L. I guess I'll make a build log when I get started!
Also, how much are SFX PSUs in the US? Here the 450W is £80, and the 600W is £100. The HDPLEX and brick combo is ~£95. As you can see, not much difference
Anyway, remember that the combo can power up to 400W with adequate cooling. That should be more than enough for a decent (power efficient) SFF build.
iFreilicht
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2014
- Messages
- 1,346
I'm still planning and designing, but right now the dimensions are 191x190x90, all in millimetres. That yields a volume of ~3.3L. I guess I'll make a build log when I get started!
Also, how much are SFX PSUs in the US? Here the 450W is £80, and the 600W is £100. The HDPLEX and brick combo is ~£95. As you can see, not much difference
Anyway, remember that the combo can power up to 400W with adequate cooling. That should be more than enough for a decent (power efficient) SFF build.
Sou you're putting the GPU above the mainboard like the A4 does?
And yes, that the HDPLEX can output quite a bit more if it is actively cooled is pretty overlooked fact.
You've got it!
It's basically an A4 for short video cards, except I'm doing some creative stuff with the psu placement.
CknSalad
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- May 27, 2014
- Messages
- 442
Where did you find the hd-plex/dell 330w brick for that cheap?! I live in the U.S. and the cheapest I can find is $100 or so for the power brick and $85 for the hd-plex.
In the UK I can find the brick for £54, or about $84.
The very cheapest you can get the HDPlex is $70, if you check the 'I own an HDPlex case' box (I heard they don't check).
Even if you don't do that, you can get your shipping fee refunded if you post pictures of your system (w/ HDPlex) on a forum and show them.
iFreilicht
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2014
- Messages
- 1,346
What do you mean by that? The brackets are non symmetrical even on the Gigabyte card. The ports may be, but you still can't just mount the brackets turned by 180°, as they wouldn't have anything in the card to attach to.
iFreilicht
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2014
- Messages
- 1,346
You've got it!
It's basically an A4 for short video cards, except I'm doing some creative stuff with the psu placement.
Nice, I'll follow that build log! I've got ideas for a similar case, but I won't execute that in the near future. Still, it sure as hell would be a fun thing to do!
The build is not finished - per se - but it is alive. I fired it up and installed Windows 8.1 earlier this month. Here's a link to the overclock forum thread. I regularly post updates there. Maybe add the link to the OP?
http://www.overclock.net/t/1526575/build-log-little-mac-4-2l-gaming-htpc/0_100
Why not finished? Perfection-itis. Past few weeks, I've been focused on improving the GPU thermals and acoustics. First, I almost fit an Arctic Accelero Mono Plus. But, no joy. Had to back that out. I settled on using a Yate Loon D12SL-12C in combo with the stock Gigabyte heatsink. Works great. Temps dropped a bit. Acoustics vastly improved. Here is a "potato quality" action shot of Heaven run with temp monitoring.
http://i.imgur.com/6QX6tto.jpg
In the photo above, there is a reason my system is dis-assembled. When I had to undo the Arctic mod, I broke one of my PCIe risers and took the time to do some PCIe riser testing. Found out some interesting things. Namely, how much of an impact my homegrown tin foil tape and vinyl riser shielding mattered. Bottom line: shielding is CRUCIAL. EMI is real. You cannot boot with naked daisy-chained risers. They HAVE to be reinforced with shielding. And avoid doubling over an unshielded riser on itself. You'll get no boot or crippled speeds.
I could probably carry on with the tin foil vinly getup, but I went ahead and ordered a custom 250mm R-Type PCIe riser from LiHeat. eBay link. It's half the price of the fancy 3M cables and it is PCIe Gen 3.0 "verified." We'll see how it compares to my tinfoil vinyl job when it lands next week.
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Updated OP with your build log link.
Question: What length riser do you need to flip the video card if you were to use a single straight extension cable? Is 250mm enough, or does that require a right angle riser at the end of it?
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Short answer: Yes, 250mm is long enough.
Long answer: I just took a measurement of my case. In a perfect world, with u shaped angles on both ends a 180mm length riser would work. That's the minimum. But since that kind of riser doesn't exist we have to bend each of those angles. Each bend necessitates more length. For a naked riser, lets say you'd need an extra 10mm per 90° bend required. But keep in mind that the shielded risers require wider bends. They are less flexible. I you make your own TFT&V riser you can make bends as sharp as you want at the sacrifice of a layer of tin foil tape. A computerbase.de forum member did examine the LiHeat flexibility click here - last photo. Not sure about 3M flexibility, but I hear it is good. My original length was 400mm long and it worked, but I had to hide the slack in big looping bends on both ends.
Long answer: I just took a measurement of my case. In a perfect world, with u shaped angles on both ends a 180mm length riser would work. That's the minimum. But since that kind of riser doesn't exist we have to bend each of those angles. Each bend necessitates more length. For a naked riser, lets say you'd need an extra 10mm per 90° bend required. But keep in mind that the shielded risers require wider bends. They are less flexible. I you make your own TFT&V riser you can make bends as sharp as you want at the sacrifice of a layer of tin foil tape. A computerbase.de forum member did examine the LiHeat flexibility click here - last photo. Not sure about 3M flexibility, but I hear it is good. My original length was 400mm long and it worked, but I had to hide the slack in big looping bends on both ends.