Raijintek Metis ITX [Build Log]

[Harnser]

Anyone seen the green one, and able to tell me what colour it actually is? It varies a lot in the photos e.g. http://club.coneco.net/user/25981/review/142688/image/6/

Blue, gold and silver are a bit garish, silver and black standard, and red/green could be nice or could be hideous depending on the shade and how shiny the case is...

For silver, is it like a MacbookPro in finish?

 

[rawrr]

Yeah its a bit of a weird green, i think its like a light olive green tbh. I think it looks quite nice though...

 

[10e]

It's a lime-ish green.

I just bought the black version from NCIX Canada for $39,95. I've done a complete watercooling build in it with a Gigabyte GA-Z87N-Wifi motherboard, I5 4690K, PNY GTX 970, 16GB of naked RAM and a couple of 2.5" drives going in the 3.5" bay with a Silverstone SDP-08 dual 2.5" to single 3.5" bay bracket in it. PSU is either SX600 or ST45SF-G Silverstone SFX PSUs. Full load it's not even using 270 watts according to Kill-A-Watt (Prime95 on the CPU with 4 threads and Furmark on the GPU)

Water cooling components are RX120 V3 Radiator with Gentle Typhoon AP-15 fan, acrylic piping and EK Supreme LT water block with DDC LT Mini Tank from WaterCool. GPU has an Alphacool NVXP GTX 670 water block, which is compatible with the PNY GTX 970. I had to mount the rad into the honeycomb grill for screw holes to raise it up a bit due to length, and drill new holes between the honeycomb grill and first PCI-E slot, but everything fit!

With CPU and GPU at full load, and the GPU at 1.4 ghz with 7800mhz RAM, my Delta-T with the fan at 1600 RPM is only 10 celsius. Very impressed with the ease of implementation in this case due to the modular removable panels.

I'll be using White Pastel Mayhem coolant and put a couple of white 3mm LEDS in the waterblock, and one white 5mm LED In the rez.

For the price and potential, this case is a winner IMHO.

Here's a link to the photo to a nudie shot. I will really look forward to closing it up tonight and seeing how Delta-T temps are affected by slightly decreased airflow. I'm tracking temps using an XSPC blue-lit LCD gauge with a temp sensor plug screwed into the top of the reservoir and soldered to the gauge.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21422895/Lil Bit/IMAG2056.jpg

 

[iFreilicht]

That is one monster of a radiator! Very nice to see this fit so well.

 

[rawrr]

It's a lime-ish green.

I just bought the black version from NCIX Canada for $39,95. I've done a complete watercooling build in it with a Gigabyte GA-Z87N-Wifi motherboard, I5 4690K, PNY GTX 970, 16GB of naked RAM and a couple of 2.5" drives going in the 3.5" bay with a Silverstone SDP-08 dual 2.5" to single 3.5" bay bracket in it. PSU is either SX600 or ST45SF-G Silverstone SFX PSUs. Full load it's not even using 270 watts according to Kill-A-Watt (Prime95 on the CPU with 4 threads and Furmark on the GPU)

Water cooling components are RX120 V3 Radiator with Gentle Typhoon AP-15 fan, acrylic piping and EK Supreme LT water block with DDC LT Mini Tank from WaterCool. GPU has an Alphacool NVXP GTX 670 water block, which is compatible with the PNY GTX 970. I had to mount the rad into the honeycomb grill for screw holes to raise it up a bit due to length, and drill new holes between the honeycomb grill and first PCI-E slot, but everything fit!

With CPU and GPU at full load, and the GPU at 1.4 ghz with 7800mhz RAM, my Delta-T with the fan at 1600 RPM is only 10 celsius. Very impressed with the ease of implementation in this case due to the modular removable panels.

I'll be using White Pastel Mayhem coolant and put a couple of white 3mm LEDS in the waterblock, and one white 5mm LED In the rez.

For the price and potential, this case is a winner IMHO.

Here's a link to the photo to a nudie shot. I will really look forward to closing it up tonight and seeing how Delta-T temps are affected by slightly decreased airflow. I'm tracking temps using an XSPC blue-lit LCD gauge with a temp sensor plug screwed into the top of the reservoir and soldered to the gauge.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21422895/Lil Bit/IMAG2056.jpg

Dude that's awesome. You should do a build thread.

 

[gigapus]

There is some great info in this thread for those considering buying this case, especially about airflow. It was certainly reassuring to know this was workable before I bought mine, so thanks to the OP and all who contributed!

Note that there is also a Japanese review that delved into airflow, with similar conclusions (if I understand the translated page correctly).

http://club.coneco.net/user/58955/review/142684/

Their best case scenario was (according to Google Translate) with the rear fan as intake and the PSU "eliminated" from the airflow, which I think means facing the front (i.e., not in the direct loop from intake to exhaust as shown above). Is anyone able to translate the Japanese directly and add to this?

As for the question above on the 3.5in drive mounted in the bottom, YES, this is possible. It actually comes with 3 sets of holes with rubber grommets preinstalled, two sets for 2.5in drives and one set for a 3.5in drive. Using the 3.5in ones preludes using the 2.5in ones and vice versa. This is in addition to a 3.5in drive mount under the top cover, so in total you can have one 3.5in and two 2.5in, or two 3.5in.

I actually made a minor mod to my case, as I did not like the "slapped on" appearance of the window, so I switched it to inside the panel by removing the 4 bolts that hold it on and reassembling accordingly. I lose a few mm of cooler clearance, but this not important to me. If you try this be aware that the inside edge of the stamped out hole in the panel is rough and should be lightly sanded to avoid scratching the window.

 

[Harnser]

I actually made a minor mod to my case, as I did not like the "slapped on" appearance of the window, so I switched it to inside the panel by removing the 4 bolts that hold it on and reassembling accordingly.

Could you tell me the measurements between the window bolt-holes? I plan to fit a fan in place of the window, but calculate from a photo that the fixing holes are ~155mm apart.

 

[gigapus]

The window hole is not quite square, with the bolts separated by 155mm horizontally and 148mm vertically.

 

[Harnser]

The window hole is not quite square, with the bolts separated by 155mm horizontally and 148mm vertically.

Thank you!

 

[JoeOnePack]

It's a lime-ish green.

I just bought the black version from NCIX Canada for $39,95. I've done a complete watercooling build in it with a Gigabyte GA-Z87N-Wifi motherboard, I5 4690K, PNY GTX 970, 16GB of naked RAM and a couple of 2.5" drives going in the 3.5" bay with a Silverstone SDP-08 dual 2.5" to single 3.5" bay bracket in it. PSU is either SX600 or ST45SF-G Silverstone SFX PSUs. Full load it's not even using 270 watts according to Kill-A-Watt (Prime95 on the CPU with 4 threads and Furmark on the GPU)

Water cooling components are RX120 V3 Radiator with Gentle Typhoon AP-15 fan, acrylic piping and EK Supreme LT water block with DDC LT Mini Tank from WaterCool. GPU has an Alphacool NVXP GTX 670 water block, which is compatible with the PNY GTX 970. I had to mount the rad into the honeycomb grill for screw holes to raise it up a bit due to length, and drill new holes between the honeycomb grill and first PCI-E slot, but everything fit!

With CPU and GPU at full load, and the GPU at 1.4 ghz with 7800mhz RAM, my Delta-T with the fan at 1600 RPM is only 10 celsius. Very impressed with the ease of implementation in this case due to the modular removable panels.

I'll be using White Pastel Mayhem coolant and put a couple of white 3mm LEDS in the waterblock, and one white 5mm LED In the rez.

For the price and potential, this case is a winner IMHO.

Here's a link to the photo to a nudie shot. I will really look forward to closing it up tonight and seeing how Delta-T temps are affected by slightly decreased airflow. I'm tracking temps using an XSPC blue-lit LCD gauge with a temp sensor plug screwed into the top of the reservoir and soldered to the gauge.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21422895/Lil Bit/IMAG2056.jpg

Hey 10e. Long time no see. The build looks great so far. Would love to build something small and simple like that myself.

The question remains, what are the chances of stuffing a slim 240 rad up top? By the specs and the looks it theoretically should fit, but I bet the front panel connectors are in the way by about 20mm. Can you say... relocation?

Worst case you could probably get one or even two 120mm rads in the top with the ports facing the windowed side panel while clearing the front panel connectors. 360mm of rad space should do well for any GPU and CPU combo you put in there.

 

[Deleted member 89018]

Looks like a nice little case - I like that there's already been a lot of experimenting with airflow configs.

Has anyone tried drilling holes in the top panel for VGA card intake? Curious how it would effect thermals / noise.

 

[herrsahlin]

Looks like a nice little case - I like that there's already been a lot of experimenting with airflow configs.

Has anyone tried drilling holes in the top panel for VGA card intake? Curious how it would effect thermals / noise.

Check page 2, makenick has done precisely this.

 

[Harnser]

I bought the green windowed case after reading people’s comments about cooling, with the plan that I could take off the window, add a dust filter and mount a 120/140mm fan. Since I'm not using a tower cooler (having bought the base parts to use in a Lone Industries L2) I’ve got space to do that.

Well, the case is not the green it appears on the website. It was a surprise, but it’s grown on me and I like it. The colour is like a transparent glaze over the aluminium, and the result is a reflective case that glows. I was expecting a more solid-coloured anodising, but hey ho!

One with coloured items around to give a colour comparison:

I have seen it look like the website colour under fluorescent lighting, but that's the only time.

Inside the case I'm putting:

• ASUS Z97I-PLUS
• Intel i5 4590
• Scythe Big Shuriken Rev 2b CPU cooler
• 16GB Crucial Ballistix vlp RAM
• Crucial MX100 SSD
• ASUS STRIX GTX 750 Ti
• SilverStone SST-ST30SF 300W SFX PSU

All these parts except the GPU and PSU had been bought to fit in a slim Lone Industries L2 case, which explains the somewhat unusual cooler choice - though I think it works very well in this case.

The assembly went together smoothly after a couple of dry runs. Being able to remove the bottom of the case makes it very easy to get everything in. In spite of being small there’s a lot of unused space. The most fiddly part was getting the 2.5” drive mounted, as the daisy-chained power connector wouldn’t fold sharply enough to fit when the drive was screwed down.

The mobo cutout is wrongly placed for the ASUS Z97I-PLUS, but the backplate isn’t touching so all is good. It just means to change the thermal compound I use I’ll have to take everything out of the case :sigh:

There's a lot of space above the SFX PSU - looks to be enough to take the 500W SFX-L if you need it

That pesky cable for the front audio ports. Everything else is well placed on the ASUS board... so why put this at the rear?

My one error was not plugging in the rear fan to the motherboard fan header before assembling. Because the Shuriken is so wide I can’t get to the fan headers when it’s in the case, so I had to take the bottom off the case again to plug the fan in

There’s ~1mm between the Shuriken and the case fan:

The USB3 cable to the front ports is quite loose in the motherboard, and every time I rearrange anything in the case it comes out.

Above the graphics card there is a surprising amount of space. Chillblast have modded the Metis cases they sell and put a fan here as an intake for the graphics card. I am curious what effect a fan at the end (above the PSU) blowing along the graphics card and out the back would have.

I turned the rear fan round and mounted it as an intake, my aim being that air would come in here, flow round the end of the graphics card and along the top of it, and exhaust out the vent at the back. In practice, the air seems to vent out the grille on the other side of the case. The holes in the bottom of the case (for attaching drives etc) also let out a lot of air, and I am experimenting with blocking them up.

Temperatures are surprisingly good. On Prime95 using 4 threads and the max heat option, the CPU got up to 79 and then dropped back to a stable 74, with the rear fan noticeable but not bad. I hadn’t got round to re-seating the Shuriken before putting it in the case and I think I’d reduce it a few degrees if I did. I used a very old Akasa white thermal paste, and now have new Gelid Solutions GC-EXTREME to replace it - and more knowledge to ensure it spreads correctly.

Using Furmark, I haven’t managed to get the graphics card past 61 degrees yet (on the 1080 benchmark - the frame rate is 26fps so not usable). I am impressed with the Strix, I cannot tell when it’s turned on over the system noise.

Noise levels under normal use conditions (programming & associated work) are good enough to be silent against background noise. I will test gaming, and with a lower background noise level, when I get a chance (have to turn off the central heating).


Conclusion

Would I buy the case again? Yes. It’s well designed and put together. My only quibbles are the colours (not great for a western market), mobo cutout, and the black screws supplied - the black coating is not durable and I have bright silvery bits showing.

I really wish Raijintek or a seller would show the colour accurately in their pictures. I have contacted Raijintek asking they offer some other, more subdued colours, but had no response yet.

Regarding my build, if I did it again I would use a CPU cooler ~1cm narrower to make access to the fan headers easier. I don't want a full tower cooler to leave space by the window for future cooling options. Any suggestions?

I'd like to see a variant ("Diet Metis"?) where the case is 14cm wide, there's no fan at the back, and the window is used as an intake. I've a lot of unused space in my build, and a smaller footprint on the desk would be very nice.

 

[Deleted member 89018]

Check page 2, makenick has done precisely this.

D'oh! Not sure how I missed that - looks like I somehow skipped from page 1 to page 3. :/ Thanks!

 

[rawrr]

I bought the green windowed case

Nice build Harnser! Only improvement I can think of now is shortening and sleeving that PSU

I kinda like that green. Very vibrant, although I can see why one might not like it.

Your GPU temps seem pretty good so far; that's the main concern I had with this case initially.

 

[JoeOnePack]

I bought the green windowed case after reading people’s comments about cooling, with the plan that I could take off the window, add a dust filter and mount a 120/140mm fan. Since I'm not using a tower cooler (having bought the base parts to use in a Lone Industries L2) I’ve got space to do that.

Well, the case is not the green it appears on the website. It was a surprise, but it’s grown on me and I like it. The colour is like a transparent glaze over the aluminium, and the result is a reflective case that glows. I was expecting a more solid-coloured anodising, but hey ho!

One with coloured items around to give a colour comparison:

I have seen it look like the website colour under fluorescent lighting, but that's the only time.

Inside the case I'm putting:

• ASUS Z97I-PLUS
• Intel i5 4590
• Scythe Big Shuriken Rev 2b CPU cooler
• 16GB Crucial Ballistix vlp RAM
• Crucial MX100 SSD
• ASUS STRIX GTX 750 Ti
• SilverStone SST-ST30SF 300W SFX PSU

All these parts except the GPU and PSU had been bought to fit in a slim Lone Industries L2 case, which explains the somewhat unusual cooler choice - though I think it works very well in this case.

The assembly went together smoothly after a couple of dry runs. Being able to remove the bottom of the case makes it very easy to get everything in. In spite of being small there’s a lot of unused space. The most fiddly part was getting the 2.5” drive mounted, as the daisy-chained power connector wouldn’t fold sharply enough to fit when the drive was screwed down.

The mobo cutout is wrongly placed for the ASUS Z97I-PLUS, but the backplate isn’t touching so all is good. It just means to change the thermal compound I use I’ll have to take everything out of the case :sigh:

There's a lot of space above the SFX PSU - looks to be enough to take the 500W SFX-L if you need it

That pesky cable for the front audio ports. Everything else is well placed on the ASUS board... so why put this at the rear?

My one error was not plugging in the rear fan to the motherboard fan header before assembling. Because the Shuriken is so wide I can’t get to the fan headers when it’s in the case, so I had to take the bottom off the case again to plug the fan in

There’s ~1mm between the Shuriken and the case fan:

The USB3 cable to the front ports is quite loose in the motherboard, and every time I rearrange anything in the case it comes out.

Above the graphics card there is a surprising amount of space. Chillblast have modded the Metis cases they sell and put a fan here as an intake for the graphics card. I am curious what effect a fan at the end (above the PSU) blowing along the graphics card and out the back would have.

I turned the rear fan round and mounted it as an intake, my aim being that air would come in here, flow round the end of the graphics card and along the top of it, and exhaust out the vent at the back. In practice, the air seems to vent out the grille on the other side of the case. The holes in the bottom of the case (for attaching drives etc) also let out a lot of air, and I am experimenting with blocking them up.

Temperatures are surprisingly good. On Prime95 using 4 threads and the max heat option, the CPU got up to 79 and then dropped back to a stable 74, with the rear fan noticeable but not bad. I hadn’t got round to re-seating the Shuriken before putting it in the case and I think I’d reduce it a few degrees if I did. I used a very old Akasa white thermal paste, and now have new Gelid Solutions GC-EXTREME to replace it - and more knowledge to ensure it spreads correctly.

Using Furmark, I haven’t managed to get the graphics card past 61 degrees yet (on the 1080 benchmark - the frame rate is 26fps so not usable). I am impressed with the Strix, I cannot tell when it’s turned on over the system noise.

Noise levels under normal use conditions (programming & associated work) are good enough to be silent against background noise. I will test gaming, and with a lower background noise level, when I get a chance (have to turn off the central heating).


Conclusion

Would I buy the case again? Yes. It’s well designed and put together. My only quibbles are the colours (not great for a western market), mobo cutout, and the black screws supplied - the black coating is not durable and I have bright silvery bits showing.

I really wish Raijintek or a seller would show the colour accurately in their pictures. I have contacted Raijintek asking they offer some other, more subdued colours, but had no response yet.

Regarding my build, if I did it again I would use a CPU cooler ~1cm narrower to make access to the fan headers easier. I don't want a full tower cooler to leave space by the window for future cooling options. Any suggestions?

I'd like to see a variant ("Diet Metis"?) where the case is 14cm wide, there's no fan at the back, and the window is used as an intake. I've a lot of unused space in my build, and a smaller footprint on the desk would be very nice.

Love the build and I actually like the color. Seems this case has a ton of potential and really deserves it's own thread.

My question still remains. Can a 240 rad fit up top? The length of the case is 277mm. The shortest 240 rad I know is the Swiftech H220 and it's 269mm. The USBs are likely in the way, but am still curious. I am also curious of the clearance from the end of the first GPU io slot to the top of the case? Is there enough room for a rad and fans?

 

[Harnser]

Nice build Harnser! Only improvement I can think of now is shortening and sleeving that PSU

Indeed As I had to RMA the first ST30SF I bought I'm playing it cautious with invalidating the warranty.

I know shortening, but what is sleeving?

I kinda like that green. Very vibrant, although I can see why one might not like it.

I was considering using this case for my parents' new computer, and can't see them having any of these colours in their living room. I'd like a range of muted colours aimed at an older audience, as this case is ideal for those builds - at least until the next generation of NUCs (not convinced the current ones would be snappy enough for working from home as they do).

Your GPU temps seem pretty good so far; that's the main concern I had with this case initially.

I know. I keep wondering what I've done wrong when benchmarking - perhaps running Furmark for 30 or 60 min will change things, though would be totally unlike any real-world usage. I haven't yet got the PSU's fan to turn on either.

 

[rawrr]

I know shortening, but what is sleeving?

Sleeving? Here's an example:

Normally for a non modular psu I would recommend sleeved extensions, but your case is so small I don't think there's enough space for that.

But this requires opening up the power supply and having all the relevant tools, so you may want to send it off to someone like Lutro, who is a professional (he'd also do the shortening for you). However these custom sleeving jobs are expensive, so do it if you have a bunch of cash lying around

 

[10e]

Dude that's awesome. You should do a build thread.

Thanks! I have a kind of build thread on the Canadian water cooling site dazmode.com. This was sort of an evolution from a Cooler Master Elite 110 case which I had water cooled. Most of the piping was recycled from another build and adapted to this smaller case.

Hey 10e. Long time no see. The build looks great so far. Would love to build something small and simple like that myself.

The question remains, what are the chances of stuffing a slim 240 rad up top? By the specs and the looks it theoretically should fit, but I bet the front panel connectors are in the way by about 20mm. Can you say... relocation?

Worst case you could probably get one or even two 120mm rads in the top with the ports facing the windowed side panel while clearing the front panel connectors. 360mm of rad space should do well for any GPU and CPU combo you put in there.

Hey man, how are you, traveler!

The only radiator that MAY fit is a Swiftech H220X but with the reservoir/pump hanging down in front it severely limits graphics card length. The case is too short to put in most regular 240mm radiators, as there is only 270-272mm of internal length from front to back. In terms of dual 120mm radiators a thin radiator like an Alphacool ST30 120mm or XSPC EX120 would fit with a fan, as you have somewhere around 55mm of space between the top panel and a water block covered GPU.. I'd go with one up top and another thin or medium thickness one in the back. Tubing routing might not be a lot of fun though. In terms of back radiators the best bet would be something like an Alphacool XT45 or maybe a UT60. Monsta would be a big no-no as it would likely cover the CPU water block, making installation a one-way trip to hell, especially considering where most Mini ITX board fan and I/O cable headers are.

Even my XSPC RX120 V3 is actually screwed in to the honeycomb grill because I raised it up a few millimeters. Truth be told, in retrospect it would have been easier to mount the fan between the case and radiator as an intake and deal with slightly elevated temps on other components, but that would bring about other issues. The nice thing with this radiator is that it has dual port locations so I can remove the stop plugs on the bottom if I want to drain the loop for maintenance, etc....

On another note, in regards to the intake/cooling issue it seems the biggest problem with this case is not so much the perforated side panel, but the motherboard tray. Because it is basically a solid piece of metal stretching from front to back it blocks most of the perforation even if the side panel is flipped to allow the perforations to be near the front, so air doesn't go over and around the video card.

This causes intake air to be restricted by the tray, and it seems the path it mostly takes is only through the CPU cooler cut out, then around the motherboard, or around the video card, then to the back fan. And then only a few perforations up top provide any cooling, which then causes air to go up, over the video card, and then back down.

In my setup, Delta-T (ie. water temp difference) between the side panel on an off is around 3 degrees celsius. I replaced the push fan that exhausts out the back with a Gentle Typhoon AP-29, capable of up to 3,000 RPM, but I'm going to try and make a cut out on the motherboard tray near the front behind the power supply where that little bulge is. I think removing this should make a fairly pronounced difference in intake air temperature and air availability which should allow more direct air to make it into the case because there is less blockage where the perforations in the side panel are. The other choice is to use a 4.25" hole saw up top to cut a hole for a top mounted fan, and stick a quiet 120mm fan to intake up there, but I'm trying to keep the very nice and clean aesthetic of this case, while keeping good cooling so I can drive the fan at less than 1800 RPM.

For me having the fan exhaust out the back and through the rad means higher Delta-T with the side panel on, but motherboard and hard disk temperatures are nearly 12 celsius lower versus having the back fan intake and pull through the radiator! This is where the perforations on the back panel at the top are doing good work.

Oh and one more thing, if anyone is looking for a black, window-less version like the Metis classic, Newegg.com carries it as the DIYPC HTPC case for $39.99 American or $54.99 Canadian on Newegg.ca

 

[JoeOnePack]

Thanks! I have a kind of build thread on the Canadian water cooling site dazmode.com. This was sort of an evolution from a Cooler Master Elite 110 case which I had water cooled. Most of the piping was recycled from another build and adapted to this smaller case.





Hey man, how are you, traveler!

The only radiator that MAY fit is a Swiftech H220X but with the reservoir/pump hanging down in front it severely limits graphics card length. The case is too short to put in most regular 240mm radiators, as there is only 270-272mm of internal length from front to back. In terms of dual 120mm radiators a thin radiator like an Alphacool ST30 120mm or XSPC EX120 would fit with a fan, as you have somewhere around 55mm of space between the top panel and a water block covered GPU.. I'd go with one up top and another thin or medium thickness one in the back. Tubing routing might not be a lot of fun though. In terms of back radiators the best bet would be something like an Alphacool XT45 or maybe a UT60. Monsta would be a big no-no as it would likely cover the CPU water block, making installation a one-way trip to hell, especially considering where most Mini ITX board fan and I/O cable headers are.

Even my XSPC RX120 V3 is actually screwed in to the honeycomb grill because I raised it up a few millimeters. Truth be told, in retrospect it would have been easier to mount the fan between the case and radiator as an intake and deal with slightly elevated temps on other components, but that would bring about other issues. The nice thing with this radiator is that it has dual port locations so I can remove the stop plugs on the bottom if I want to drain the loop for maintenance, etc....

On another note, in regards to the intake/cooling issue it seems the biggest problem with this case is not so much the perforated side panel, but the motherboard tray. Because it is basically a solid piece of metal stretching from front to back it blocks most of the perforation even if the side panel is flipped to allow the perforations to be near the front, so air doesn't go over and around the video card.

This causes intake air to be restricted by the tray, and it seems the path it mostly takes is only through the CPU cooler cut out, then around the motherboard, or around the video card, then to the back fan. And then only a few perforations up top provide any cooling, which then causes air to go up, over the video card, and then back down.

In my setup, Delta-T (ie. water temp difference) between the side panel on an off is around 3 degrees celsius. I replaced the push fan that exhausts out the back with a Gentle Typhoon AP-29, capable of up to 3,000 RPM, but I'm going to try and make a cut out on the motherboard tray near the front behind the power supply where that little bulge is. I think removing this should make a fairly pronounced difference in intake air temperature and air availability which should allow more direct air to make it into the case because there is less blockage where the perforations in the side panel are. The other choice is to use a 4.25" hole saw up top to cut a hole for a top mounted fan, and stick a quiet 120mm fan to intake up there, but I'm trying to keep the very nice and clean aesthetic of this case, while keeping good cooling so I can drive the fan at less than 1800 RPM.

For me having the fan exhaust out the back and through the rad means higher Delta-T with the side panel on, but motherboard and hard disk temperatures are nearly 12 celsius lower versus having the back fan intake and pull through the radiator! This is where the perforations on the back panel at the top are doing good work.

Oh and one more thing, if anyone is looking for a black, window-less version like the Metis classic, Newegg.com carries it as the DIYPC HTPC case for $39.99 American or $54.99 Canadian on Newegg.ca

Thank you so much for the response 10e. That is a lot of information to take in. Wishing I had the case here so I can fully understand some of your observations.

Regarding a 240 rad up top. How much clearance is there between the GPU and the windowed side panel to route tubing? When I mentioned using the H220, I was just planning on using the radiator and going custom pump and res, hoping I could maneuver around a full sized GPU.

Regarding the motherboard tray, I figured this would be an issue and cutting out a piece behind the PSU would indeed eleviate some of your issues. I would probably do the same thing whether I would be intaking fresh air or exhausting from the side panel perforations.

I think that you can still maintain the clean aesthetics of this case while mounting a 120mm fan (or two) in the top. It just depends how you want to go about making the holes. If it were me, I would perforate the top like the side panel and make counter-sunk mounting holes if the panel was thick enough. Much more aesthetically pleasing than just cutting fan holes. You could possibly use the side panel as a template for the top.

The good news in the end is that if you mess up while nodding you know the case isn't too expensive to replace in the end.

 

[10e]

Thank you so much for the response 10e. That is a lot of information to take in. Wishing I had the case here so I can fully understand some of your observations.

Regarding a 240 rad up top. How much clearance is there between the GPU and the windowed side panel to route tubing? When I mentioned using the H220, I was just planning on using the radiator and going custom pump and res, hoping I could maneuver around a full sized GPU.

Regarding the motherboard tray, I figured this would be an issue and cutting out a piece behind the PSU would indeed eleviate some of your issues. I would probably do the same thing whether I would be intaking fresh air or exhausting from the side panel perforations.

I think that you can still maintain the clean aesthetics of this case while mounting a 120mm fan (or two) in the top. It just depends how you want to go about making the holes. If it were me, I would perforate the top like the side panel and make counter-sunk mounting holes if the panel was thick enough. Much more aesthetically pleasing than just cutting fan holes. You could possibly use the side panel as a template for the top.

The good news in the end is that if you mess up while nodding you know the case isn't too expensive to replace in the end.

There should be at least a couple of inches clearance between the GPU and the side window unless using a large card like an MSI lightning or Asus Strix. Regarding perforating the top it can be done as long as someone is accurate with a drill and has something to countersink and de-burr the holes, but for me since I'm using the top 3.5" hard disk cage I can only do one fan, though that would be sufficient.

I'm going to try and cut out the mother board tray tonight and see how it goes in terms of fresh air re-direction and go from there. The good part is, I don't affect the outside of the case in any fashion if I change my mind afterwards, as all I'm doing is flipping the left panel to re-orient the perforation holes near the front. I just bought some Dremel routing tools which can be useful to de-burr and improve the aesthetic of the holes (if need be).

Also NCIX let me order another black case for the $39.99 sale price so if I mangle it too much, I always have another hehe.

Cheers!

 

[JoeOnePack]

There should be at least a couple of inches clearance between the GPU and the side window unless using a large card like an MSI lightning or Asus Strix. Regarding perforating the top it can be done as long as someone is accurate with a drill and has something to countersink and de-burr the holes, but for me since I'm using the top 3.5" hard disk cage I can only do one fan, though that would be sufficient.

I'm going to try and cut out the mother board tray tonight and see how it goes in terms of fresh air re-direction and go from there. The good part is, I don't affect the outside of the case in any fashion if I change my mind afterwards, as all I'm doing is flipping the left panel to re-orient the perforation holes near the front. I just bought some Dremel routing tools which can be useful to de-burr and improve the aesthetic of the holes (if need be).

Also NCIX let me order another black case for the $39.99 sale price so if I mangle it too much, I always have another hehe.

Cheers!

Awesome! Thanks for the information. Please post some pictures of your progress. I can't seem to find your build log on Dazmode.

 

[10e]

Awesome! Thanks for the information. Please post some pictures of your progress. I can't seem to find your build log on Dazmode.

It's under my "Lil bit" build log. This was originally a Cooler Master Elite 110 case with an I7 3770K undervolted by offset 0.01 v and at 4.3 Ghz with 8GB of RAM and an R9 270 with modified EK water block.

Now it's the 4770K at stock with a PNY GTX 970 with Alphacool GTX 670 water block and 16GB of DDR3 at 1600mhz 7-8-7-24 nudie RAM

Here's a link:

http://www.dazmode.com/_forum/showthread.php?1029-Lil-bit/page2

 

[JoeOnePack]

It's under my "Lil bit" build log. This was originally a Cooler Master Elite 110 case with an I7 3770K undervolted by offset 0.01 v and at 4.3 Ghz with 8GB of RAM and an R9 270 with modified EK water block.

Now it's the 4770K at stock with a PNY GTX 970 with Alphacool GTX 670 water block and 16GB of DDR3 at 1600mhz 7-8-7-24 nudie RAM

Here's a link:

http://www.dazmode.com/_forum/showthread.php?1029-Lil-bit/page2

Ahh.. Got it. It's looking good. Can't wait to see some fully assembled pictures of it.

I'm jealous. Almost want to end my trip early so I can build another computer.

 

[akromatic]

is it possible to mount the radiator externally on the rear fan mount and pipe the tubes through the GPU screw cover holes?

 

[aphexii]

Thanks for the post, good info!

 

[ulanddanne]

Hi!

I just want to share my specs and temps. For starters my temps: CPU: 30c idle/ 50c load GPU: 30c idle/ 73c heaven extreme (for a long time)

I´m kind of amazed by this results, i´v planed for some vent-mod at the top of the case and mod my almost standard non modular PSU, i assure you it´s cramped in there. A modular SFX is probably your best choice for this case.

Keep in mind no mods what so ever, actually I did a small mod and unmounted the USB... I could fit it back in, but I have no need for it. Cable management was horrible and there is a good chunk on top of PSU... I have the two fans (PSU and CPU) blowing out.

My specs
I7 4770k
Corsair (watercooler) H80i
Asus R9 270 OC DCII
Fractal design Integra R2 750w (150 x 86 x 140)
Ripjaws 2133 MHZ

 

[iFreilicht]

Hi!

I just want to share my specs and temps. For starters my temps: CPU: 30c idle/ 50c load GPU: 30c idle/ 73c heaven extreme (for a long time)

I´m kind of amazed by this results, i´v planed for some vent-mod at the top of the case and mod my almost standard non modular PSU, i assure you it´s cramped in there. A modular SFX is probably your best choice for this case.

Keep in mind no mods what so ever, actually I did a small mod and unmount USB... I could fit it back in, but I have no need for it. Cable management was horrible and there is a good chunk on top of PSU... I have the two fans (PSU and CPU) blowing out.

My specs
I7 4770k
Corsair (watercooler) H80i
Asus R9 270 OC DCII
Fractal design Integra R2 750w (150 x 86 x 140)
Ripjaws 2133 MHZ

Do you have the windowed or the vented version? Because with the windowed one, those are really surprising temperatures.

 

[ulanddanne]

Do you have the windowed or the vented version? Because with the windowed one, those are really surprising temperatures.

I have the vented version, I still think it´s a fairly good result without modding the top for the GPU. Asus R9 270 runs very cool in a regular chassi (60c) If your planning a metis build this card could really spare you some otherwise tricky modding.

 

[FlamingPanther]

I just snagged one of these under a different name,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811353044

I'm so excited about this build that I'm posting this before I have pictures uploaded
Evga z87 stinger
G3258
16gb gskill
Samsung 850 evo 250gb
XFX 7970 Dual Dissipation

Haven't chosen a PSU yet, it will definitely need to be sfx. The 7970 is grazing the front of the case.

I am debating a all-in-one water-cooler...but using the stock cooler for now.

 

[rawrr]

I just snagged one of these under a different name,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811353044

I'm so excited about this build that I'm posting this before I have pictures uploaded
Evga z87 stinger
G3258
16gb gskill
Samsung 850 evo 250gb
XFX 7970 Dual Dissipation

Haven't chosen a PSU yet, it will definitely need to be sfx. The 7970 is grazing the front of the case.

I am debating a all-in-one water-cooler...but using the stock cooler for now.

Wow, the DD fits? A pic would be great

 

[JoeOnePack]

I just snagged one of these under a different name,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811353044

I'm so excited about this build that I'm posting this before I have pictures uploaded
Evga z87 stinger
G3258
16gb gskill
Samsung 850 evo 250gb
XFX 7970 Dual Dissipation

Haven't chosen a PSU yet, it will definitely need to be sfx. The 7970 is grazing the front of the case.

I am debating a all-in-one water-cooler...but using the stock cooler for now.

Looking forward to your build log.

I liked the DIY version of the Metis because it doesnt have the logo at the bottom front, but the gold case feet are a real turn off.

If anyone knows or when someone gets a chance, could they measure the internal height of the case from case floor to case top?

Thanks!

 

[FlamingPanther]

Wow, the DD fits? A pic would be great

 

[rawrr]

Thanks! The old DD looks really sleek

 

[FlamingPanther]

Thanks! The old DD looks really sleek

Aye, it's an old mining card.

And by mining, I mean a friend wanted to get into MAXcoins for some reason, it ran at 75% load for about a day, before he was like "ok, this was a stupid idea, do you want this card?"

So i'm building a SFF around it, haha.

I just pre-ordered the Silverstone new hotness, SX500-LG, excited about that.

Still unsure of storage...

And I may still take the USB 3.0 ports out, because they are squished into the side of the fan shroud on the DD.

 

[Dory]

you know if you can put on the top of the case Scythe Slip Stream 120 Slim?

 

[JoeOnePack]

you know if you can put on the top of the case Scythe Slip Stream 120 Slim?

You can fit two in the top if you don't fill the hard drive cage.

 

[vlad1966]

Thanks to everyone in this thread for all the great info. A few days ago, I also bought the DIY black version of this case with the gold feet for $38 with free shipping on NewEgg. I can't believe how tiny it is!

Unfortunately, due to my current employment situation, I probably won't be able to use it in a build for at least a month, if not two, but my plans are:

- Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WiFi mobo
- i5-4690K
- 16GB RAM
- Asus GTX 970 Mini ITX version
- Silverstone SST-SX500-LG SFX-L PSU (fan side turned toward rear case fan)
- Noctua NF-P14 Fan for rear of the case, blowing in
- Noctua NH-U12S or Noctua NH-U9S HSF
- Mac OS X Yosemite

I'll also be cutting a 120mm hole in the top of the case as an exhaust for the vid card, same as Chillblast does with their Fusion Nano Gaming PC, but most likely won't be putting a fan up there due to the limited space, and because the Gigabyte mobo only has 2 fan connectors. I'll need to buy a nice corded Dremel kit first though. I'll also be replacing the ugly gold feet with black aluminum ones. They cost about $40, but I think it'll be worth it.

Anyone care to make any comments/recommendations on my hardware choices?

I was also considering the Asus Z97I-Plus (I prefer Asus BIOS & their fan control methods) but the Gigabyte mobo has a vertical connector for the WiFi card that I'll need to swap out for a larger card for OOB compatibility with OS X. Damn, seems like there are always trade-offs with technology. Almost nothing is perfect.

Also, I'm a huge fan of Noctua HSFs. I considered watercooling, but I think the case is too small for practicality purposes. A 120mm class AIO water unit would take up too much room in the rear of the case and would interfere with the larger WiFi card I plan to upgrade to. I'm not sure of the NH-U12S, since it's 158mm high, and this case can only support coolers up to 160mm, so 2mm is cutting it pretty close. I want to get a good OC out of the 4690K, but I also need to keep temps as low as possible in this small case, and at the same time keep enough room in the case to be able to swap components & plug/un-plug cables easily. It'll be a high-wire act.

I can't wait to get going on this build . . .

 

[ummmz]

Hello from Australia!

After following this thread for sometime I decided to go get myself the Black Metis. Appreciate all the input from everyone as I read everyone's ideas and projects.

Love how the case looks and how compact it is.

Specs:
Intel Pentium G3258 OC to 4.4Ghz @ 1.160v
Asus H97i Plus ITX Motherboard
Kingston Hyper X Fury 8GB Kit White 1600mhz
Lite-On 128GB M.2 Drive
Phanteks PH-TC12LS Low Profile CPU Cooler Black Edition
EVGA 750TI SC VGA Card
Fractal Integra M 550W PSU
Raijintek Metis Black Case

Originally I installed the system as per the standard layout, while I was doing it I notice how everything is only screwed together. Decided to do something different and flip the rear panel and motherboard and see how it looks.

By doing this its easier for me to cable manage and the VGA card can get direct air through the hard drive holes at the bottom of the case (Still looking at a way to prevent dust to enter though)

Photos:
(Apologies for the bad camera)

 

[vlad1966]

Hello ummmz,

Greetings from ChiTown!

Can you post pics of how the flipped real panel and mobo look?
You're pics aren't showing up.

Thanks!