Self Designed Case - Thoughts?

K

Kerbalnaught

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May 30, 2017
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Recently saw the Cryorig Taku and thought I liked the idea, but not mini ITX, etc, as the would involve buying new parts ;)


So I wondered, can a similar concept with Full Sized ATX components work?
  • ATX PSU and MB are cheaper, and often quieter, than mini ITX and after all that's what I already have ;)
  • I only ever use 2 expansion slots on the mother board, I can block the other 5 and not be worried
  • I like the idea of fart arsing around in designers to see if it can work

My starting point was to turn the GPU on it's side so that it's virtually laying on its back on the MB and sucking in air directly from outside the case.

Normally my cases would have positive relative pressure (such as my BeQuiet! Silent Base 600, with 3 intakes and 1 exhaust), but in this design it would work Against the GPU fans. I want the GPU to intake cool air directly, by being mounted against the surface of the case. Any other fans used as intakes would increase pressure and hinder the GPU. So, I made all the fans exhaust fans. So as not to compromise the CPU, that would also have an intake fan mounted against the surface of the case.
  • CPU and GPU fans sucking in air directly
  • Some slow and quiet fans expelling that air, assisting the CPU and GPU fans

Then I turned it all upside down, so it's sucking in air from underneath...

Then I played Tetris to fit in my other components (3 HDD, 2 SSD, 1 Slimline BluRay, ATX PSU) and added a crap load of fans. Haven't yet spent any effort contemplating what magic is Holding all these things in place, or how to manufacture the thing, but here is a draft laylout so far...

So (please be gentle, my first time here or designing a case) what do you think?
  • Obvious problems?
  • Thoughts on airflow / negative pressure design?
  • Other options?

Ideally this wouldn't get any deeper or taller, but I don't mind it getting wider. It will go on 50mm legs under a monitor that itself is about 650mm wide.


Front Top Down View:
case_front_view_by_matbailie-dbbbeg7.png


Blue fans are 92mm exhausts, pink are drives (including one slimline bluray), orange is the PSU and hidden away under a ribbon cable is the GPU. The transparent green is the motherboard, and the grey and copper is the cooler (with a black fan hidden beneath it)

Front View:
case_front_view_by_matbailie-dbbbg6q.png


Bottom View:
case_bottom_view_by_matbailie-dbbbega.png


Rear Top Down View:
case_rear_view_by_matbailie-dbbbeg0.png


Rear View:
case_rear_view_by_matbailie-dbbbg7r.png
 
Last edited:
positive airflow is only beneficial for CPU air coolers, not a negative.

Positive airflow also assists with dust prevention and collection.
 
I agree regarding dust; negative relative pressure will suck in air, with dust, through every crack.

I disagree regarding positive relative pressure being the only aid to a CPU Cooler.

In the design I linked, both the CPU and GPU intake air from outside the case. That air passes over the heat sinks and then out into the case. Any positive pressure inside the case will make it More difficult for the CPU and GPU fans to move air from outside of the case and over the heatsinks.

The very fans causing positive pressure would in effect be trying to push air from the case over the heatsinks and out past the CPU/GPU fans. That's the wrong direction.

I could reverse the direction of the CPU fan. But I've never seen or tried reversing the direction of the GPU fans.
 
It took a while to get that site to load right.

1) I did not say it was *THE ONLY* aid to the CPU cooler, I said it was "only beneficial" meaning, there are no downsides to positive air pressure for the GPU.
2) I'm unfamiliar with any GPU cooler that is a box design that would mount flush to the case like that.
3) It will be open on the rear of the card, as well as the front, and the sides, so it will be spitting hot air back into your case for your CPU and other components to deal with.
4) Your linked design lacks any panels or anything else, so it's really hard to see what the actual build will look like when completed. It's currently a box GPU hovering over a motherboard.
 
Guarana [BAWLS] said:
It took a while to get that site to load right.

1) I did not say it was *THE ONLY* aid to the CPU cooler, I said it was "only beneficial" meaning, there are no downsides to positive air pressure for the GPU.
2) I'm unfamiliar with any GPU cooler that is a box design that would mount flush to the case like that.
3) It will be open on the rear of the card, as well as the front, and the sides, so it will be spitting hot air back into your case for your CPU and other components to deal with.
4) Your linked design lacks any panels or anything else, so it's really hard to see what the actual build will look like when completed. It's currently a box GPU hovering over a motherboard.
Click to expand...

Sorry it was slow, it's not my site, I just found it when I googled online-3d-modelling :-/

It's worth also looking at the second link labelled as "Fully Loaded", which has the fans, drives, psu, etc. More clutter to see, but easier to see where the edge of the case would be (all the parts buttress up against where the case would be, it's just a box enveloping all the parts).


1. Regarding positive pressure again, what you say is right IF the GPU is drawing air from inside the case. The positive pressure then causes even a radial cooler to expel some hot air out of the back of the GPU. When the GPU is rotated (as in many ITX builds now days) and draws air from Outside of the case, positive pressure is most certainly a hindrance to the GPU's fans.

2. Pretty much any GPU can be mounted in the way. It's not the normal mounting but many cases now days do just that, mostly mini ITX and/or HTPC cases, where they're looking for minimal case size. The Cryorig Taku being the main example (as it inspired this layout), but also more well known cases such as Dan Case's A4, Silverstone's Raven RVZ02, etc.

3. The GPU will be sealed against the bottom of the case, on a noise dampening pad. Air will come up from under the case into the GPU fans, through the heatsink and out in to the case. But that's not much different from normal, where the radial coolers (as opposed to blower coolers) dump all their hot air into the case, even recycling some of that hot air knowingly. My real (not imaginary, on a website only) case overcomes that by having intake fans lower than the GPU and exhaust fans higher than the GPU, causing flow of air up through the case (including past the RAM, VRMs, CPU & cooler, top mounted radiators, etc, etc) and then out either the top or the back of the case. In my proposed design the majority of the hot air would go out of the three near side exhaust fans, some out of the back of the GPU, and some towards the CPU. The CPU's cooler would do an identical thing, with most hot air going out the three far side fans (that side has more obstructions), and some out of the back of the case above the IO, but some hot air would go towards the GPU. That's why there is a rear exhaust fan; to remove the turbulent air from between the CPU and GPU.

4. You're right there are no panels, but it would just be a rectangle box around the components... I could add some, but then you couldn't see inside... It's also worth noting that the GPU is -under- the motherboard. It's all deliberately upside down so as not to intake air from the monitor, or be blocked by the monitor stand (and anything I happen to leave on the case).


Thanks for taking the time to persist with that link and then replying :) I'm looking for feedback and that's what you're giving! CHEERS.
 
I don't understand why you are putting a fan on the side of the PSU. Do you plan to use a passive unit and have airflow sideways?

If I made it, I would skip all the side fans. Put the PSU on the other side so that there are more exhaust vents around the CPU area.
Maybe add a helper fan only for the GPU.
 
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