mATX case idea 20L - does it already exist?

[Darth Bobo]

I have been toying around with an idea for a mATX / mini-ITX case that would accept a closed loop cooler like the Corsair H105 and ATX PSU. I would go for a 20L case to qualify for the SFF tag, fortunately that doesn't seem to be an issue currently

I haven't been able to find what i'm looking for, so now I have attempted to sketch it out:

Frame would be something like this:

Roughly fitted it would look something like this:

• The top would house 240mm coolers up to the thickness of the Corsair H105 (intake).

• There would be no support for 3.5" disks but two SSDs could fit next to the closed loop cooler.

• PSU (pretty much any length) would sit sideways over the CPU area drawing heat away from this area, alternatively the PSU could be mounted to draw fresh air.

• Front would house 2 120mm fans (intake) and if you forego SLI/XFIRE the bottom could house an extra two 120mm fans (intake) og if using a mini-ITX board an extra 240mm rad.

• The case would be configured as a positive pressure case.

• The case would not support optical drives though I have been playing with the idea of fitting a slim slot loading drive somewhere.

So now I ask; is this a good idea? Does something like this already exist?

I have been trying to mock it up using Sketchup, but obviously I would have to do exact drawings and figure out how to lay them out in order to get them to a laser cutter to get an actual prototype (currently thinking of 3mm HDF as a test medium).

 

[Aibohphobia]

Check this out: http://www.overclock.net/t/1521272/scratch-build-project-arctic-the-making-of-my-first-case-record-breaking/0_20

He plans to do a short production run sometime next year.

Not trying to discourage you from trying to design something yourself, it's a great learning experience, but if you just want a case with a similar layout Auxilium's pretty far along in the design process.

Edit: Here's a pic of the case assembled if you're lazy like me and don't want to go through the whole thread: http://cdn.overclock.net/3/38/38447502_IMG_0359_zps17b3f9c4.jpeg

 

[Darth Bobo]

Check this out: http://www.overclock.net/t/1521272/scratch-build-project-arctic-the-making-of-my-first-case-record-breaking/0_20

He plans to do a short production run sometime next year.

Not trying to discourage you from trying to design something yourself, it's a great learning experience, but if you just want a case with a similar layout Auxilium's pretty far along in the design process.

Edit: Here's a pic of the case assembled if you're lazy like me and don't want to go through the whole thread: http://cdn.overclock.net/3/38/38447502_IMG_0359_zps17b3f9c4.jpeg

VERY nice! That is indeed very close to what I have been thinking about, still using a SFX PSU though. But yeah, that is something I might have to look closer at before spending too much time

 

[Zap]

still using a SFX PSU though.

Is that a problem? You can already run two GTX 980 in SLI using the latest Silverstone 500/600W SFX PSUs.

 

[Darth Bobo]

Is that a problem? You can already run two GTX 980 in SLI using the latest Silverstone 500/600W SFX PSUs.

It's a problem in the sense that I want to CHOOSE a PSU, not to have the choice made for me