Log 4L Custom STX Case Deskmini X300 with RTX GPU (brickless) 3d printed

[Da_Korn]

Hello STX Fans,

I wanted to post an Idea, thats been swirling around in my head for a while. Another small form factor Case, based on the Deskmini.
I don´t know if thats a just a build LOG or a Concept.

My plan was to implement an ITX GPU to the x300 Board and the System should also be Brickless, with an Internal AC/DC 12v PSU. My goal is to keep it under 4.0L and all parts 3d printable, within a 200x200mm area, that most printers have.

The components I already have are the following:
-Ryzen 7 5700g sitting on the X300 and cooled by the Noctua NHL9a
-32gig of corsair SO-Dimm ram
-Crucial 1tb ssd
-Gigabyte RTX 2070 mini ITX (170mm length)
-2x Noctua nfa9x14 for case Airflow

In some other threads it has already been discussed, that the deskmini also works with only 12v. So no need for a 19v Brick and some kind of 19v to 12v dcdc converter. -> Only one small, high power PSU needed. The most powerful but still the smallest power supply I've found was the MEANWELL RPS-500-12-C, which was perfect for my build.

I also ordered some M.2 to PCI-e x16 riser cables from ADT-Link.
The Deskmini X300 is lacking rear IO, so I ordered some USB extentions for the deskmini´s front IO, to have at least two more USBs to work with.

then I started concepting and designing:
I chose Sandwich layout with the PSU in the front. A first test mounitng frame was 3 d printed, to check a few missing dimensions for the future design. Here are some Pictures

Next Step was to implement all the missing dimensions into my concept design. I want to have an Inner Frame, where the Hardware mounts to and an Outer shell, that looks more premium, like panels made of Aluminum or something else. Everything is hold together with threaded Inserts,M3 Spacers and M3 screws in different lengths.
As I desicribed earlier I wanted all parts to be 3D printed within a 200x200mm area, so therefore some of the longer parts must be seperated into smaller pieces to fit. The complete inner frame is 230x100x160mm and comes under 3.7L in volume. with the outer shell it might become a bit bigger, but still be under 4L. Heres my first concept of the inner Structure:

rear IO:

When the first design was almost finished, I was already starting to print it to check the dimensions again. heres first real Prototype with every piece of Hardware mounted. So far I think it looks good:

Up and running:

What are your thougths about this design?

 

[cleveland]

Awesome build, buddy! I love the sub 4L builds and that one is no exception, for sure.

Also, don't take my comment as a criticism, but since you're going to use a proprietary form factor PSU anyways, why not just go with the HDplex 250w?

 

[yuusou]

Awesome build, buddy! I love the sub 4L builds and that one is no exception, for sure.

Also, don't take my comment as a criticism, but since you're going to use a proprietary form factor PSU anyways, why not just go with the HDplex 250w?

250W, not even considering efficiency losses, wouldn't cut it with an RTX 2060 (160W) together with the X300 and a 5700G (which has been documented to go over the 120W of the stock X300 power brick).

 

[Gerold]

Sick build, congrats!
Will you be sharing the files somewhere?

 

[robbee]

250W, not even considering efficiency losses, wouldn't cut it with an RTX 2060 (160W) together with the X300 and a 5700G (which has been documented to go over the 120W of the stock X300 power brick).

It's not very related to this build, but that's not how efficiency works. It means that at 250W output with eg. 90% efficiency, it's drawing 250 / 0.90 = 277,78W from the wall. The 250W output rating is guaranteed and will not be lowered at lower efficiency.

OT: love how dense this build is and how well it fits together. Do you have any kind of load switch to enable and disable the GPU power?

I actually tried a very similar build earlier with the Intel version, until I found out it the board doesn't run on 12V like the AMD version does I'm now waiting for the x600 deskmini as I'd like PCIe 4.0 for the GPU riser.

 

[Da_Korn]

Awesome build, buddy! I love the sub 4L builds and that one is no exception, for sure.

Also, don't take my comment as a criticism, but since you're going to use a proprietary form factor PSU anyways, why not just go with the HDplex 250w?

Thanks, I appreciate it. I used the proprietary PSU, because the system only needs 12v and thats the highest power unit I could find in that formfactor. I know that 500w are way too much for the X300 and the rtx2070 but I wanted some Headroom for bigger hardware in the Future. But, I also chose it, because it can handle about 300w without any Fan attached to it. And its cheaper than the HDplex.

Sick build, congrats!
Will you be sharing the files somewhere?

big Thanks. Maybe, when the design is finished.

It's not very related to this build, but that's not how efficiency works. It means that at 250W output with eg. 90% efficiency, it's drawing 250 / 0.90 = 277,78W from the wall. The 250W output rating is guaranteed and will not be lowered at lower efficiency.

OT: love how dense this build is and how well it fits together. Do you have any kind of load switch to enable and disable the GPU power?

I actually tried a very similar build earlier with the Intel version, until I found out it the board doesn't run on 12V like the AMD version does I'm now waiting for the x600 deskmini as I'd like PCIe 4.0 for the GPU riser.

I like dense builds, Its fascinating to see loads of hardware crambed together in tight spaces.

I dont use any kind of load switch. The 8 pin for the GPU is directly connected to the PSU. everything is directly connected to the PSU. I didnt even think about using that kind of circuit. Why would need this?

 

[robbee]

I dont use any kind of load switch. The 8 pin for the GPU is directly connected to the PSU. everything is directly connected to the PSU. I didnt even think about using that kind of circuit. Why would need this?

Some gpu's don't like to be always powered. For instance, the fan won't stop spinning or the leds won't turn off.

 

[msystems]

That's a very space efficient layout. I'm impressed how you relocated the front i/o into the unused rear i/o space. Super genius

 

[BaK]

Another 12v built!!!
And so dense and compact!
Loving how you designed the 3D frame!

Power cables could have been a bit shorter for better cable management, and depending on how much hot air of the GPU is being blown into the PSU, I would maybe add something to block it.

I dont use any kind of load switch. The 8 pin for the GPU is directly connected to the PSU. everything is directly connected to the PSU. I didnt even think about using that kind of circuit. Why would need this?

This MW PSU has a standby function (PS_ON) that can turn the 12V on and off.
I've used it along with an @Thehack's M2426 PDCB to prevent the always on problem, you can check my LiGHTPC thread (see sig) for more details.

No clue though what device you would need do that on this STX motherboard without a 24pin connector...
Luckily your GPU does not keep its fan always spinning!

 

[robbee]

This MW PSU has a standby function (PS_ON) that can turn the 12V on and off.
I've used it along with an @Thehack's M2426 PDCB to prevent the always on problem, you can check my LiGHTPC thread (see sig) for more details.

No clue though what device you would need do that on this STX motherboard without a 24pin connector...
Luckily your GPU does not keep its fan always spinning!

AFAIK, STX boards do not have a standardised way of sending a PS_ON signal. @REVOCCASES developed a special load switch for this a while back that takes any kind of power output from the motherboard as signal (SATA, fan header, USB, ...).

@Da_Korn those XT60 are pretty bulky, you could probably get away with XT30 plugs if you're using separate cables from the Meanwell to the gpu and to the motherboard. AWG16 cables should be a tight fit but they work.

 

[yuusou]

This board has two PWM fan headers, you can use the 12V from one of those to trigger power for the GPU.

 

[REVOCCASES]

Hello STX Fans,

I wanted to post an Idea, thats been swirling around in my head for a while. Another small form factor Case, based on the Deskmini.
I don´t know if thats a just a build LOG or a Concept.

My plan was to implement an ITX GPU to the x300 Board and the System should also be Brickless, with an Internal AC/DC 12v PSU. My goal is to keep it under 4.0L and all parts 3d printable, within a 200x200mm area, that most printers have.

The components I already have are the following:
-Ryzen 7 5700g sitting on the X300 and cooled by the Noctua NHL9a
-32gig of corsair SO-Dimm ram
-Crucial 1tb ssd
-Gigabyte RTX 2070 mini ITX (170mm length)
-2x Noctua nfa9x14 for case Airflow

In some other threads it has already been discussed, that the deskmini also works with only 12v. So no need for a 19v Brick and some kind of 19v to 12v dcdc converter. -> Only one small, high power PSU needed. The most powerful but still the smallest power supply I've found was the MEANWELL RPS-500-12-C, which was perfect for my build.

I also ordered some M.2 to PCI-e x16 riser cables from ADT-Link.
The Deskmini X300 is lacking rear IO, so I ordered some USB extentions for the deskmini´s front IO, to have at least two more USBs to work with.

then I started concepting and designing:
I chose Sandwich layout with the PSU in the front. A first test mounitng frame was 3 d printed, to check a few missing dimensions for the future design. Here are some Pictures

Next Step was to implement all the missing dimensions into my concept design. I want to have an Inner Frame, where the Hardware mounts to and an Outer shell, that looks more premium, like panels made of Aluminum or something else. Everything is hold together with threaded Inserts,M3 Spacers and M3 screws in different lengths.
As I desicribed earlier I wanted all parts to be 3D printed within a 200x200mm area, so therefore some of the longer parts must be seperated into smaller pieces to fit. The complete inner frame is 230x100x160mm and comes under 3.7L in volume. with the outer shell it might become a bit bigger, but still be under 4L. Heres my first concept of the inner Structure:

rear IO:

When the first design was almost finished, I was already starting to print it to check the dimensions again. heres first real Prototype with every piece of Hardware mounted. So far I think it looks good:

Up and running:

What are your thougths about this design?

That's some fine German engineering, love it!

Just hope the MW doesn't overheat when the GPU blows hot air right at it. But if it does its probably easy to design some "deflector shield"...

 

[Curiosity]

Love it, had I not built for WC I may have ended up with a similar design. Really solid technique for the build and so compact!
Those are XT60 outputs on the back there, right?

 

[Da_Korn]

AFAIK, STX boards do not have a standardised way of sending a PS_ON signal. @REVOCCASES developed a special load switch for this a while back that takes any kind of power output from the motherboard as signal (SATA, fan header, USB, ...).

@Da_Korn those XT60 are pretty bulky, you could probably get away with XT30 plugs if you're using separate cables from the Meanwell to the gpu and to the motherboard. AWG16 cables should be a tight fit but they work.

that would be a great solution. But as long as it works without the load switch I´ll keep it as it is, maybe add it later.
Those XT60s were just added for Testing purposes, I had them lying around. Yes they are really bulky. Yes, XT30s are a better altenative, or maybe connect everything directly to the Terminals on the PSU. I´m gonna test it, to see what works best.

That's some fine German engineering, love it!

Just hope the MW doesn't overheat when the GPU blows hot air right at it. But if it does its probably easy to design some "deflector shield"...

Thanks a lot.

That's an important point that I haven't thought of.

Love it, had I not built for WC I may have ended up with a similar design. Really solid technique for the build and so compact!
Those are XT60 outputs on the back there, right?

Great.
Yes, Those are XT60 outputs at the Back. I added them for powering a other 12v componets, like a portable monitor on LAN party events. But I changed the rear design a bit, because the main power switch did not fit in the Horizonal positon, so now it vertical and two of three XT60s had to go. I want to Add more USBs. The complete rear plate needs a redesign. I also added something to mount the GPU. Here´s how it looks now.

I printed some more parts. One problem accoured, 3D printed components do not fit exactly, which means that you always have to plan a certain distance between two parts that sit directly on top of each other. Maybe a 0.5mm gap is enough for them to fit exactly.
I trimmed the surfaces down a bit with a File.

I found something very Interesting, someone else designed a 3d printable Case for his ITX HTPC and he posted a interesting solution for printing panels with air vent holes. I dont know how to describe it exactly, its like printing a part without the top and bottom layern, so the Infill structure pattern is visible throughout the complete part. Its quite a handy solution that you can configure in the Slicer software.

 

[BaK]

I found something very Interesting, someone else designed a 3d printable Case for his ITX HTPC and he posted a interesting solution for printing panels with air vent holes. I dont know how to describe it exactly, its like printing a part without the top and bottom layern, so the Infill structure pattern is visible throughout the complete part. Its quite a handy solution that you can configure in the Slicer software.

@morj did it with good results for his Walrus WS build, check at the end of this post: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...a2000-and-optimized-cooling.17513/post-266324
As well as @robbee with is Talos build: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/talos-a-new-living-room-proof-computer.17255/post-267356

 

[morj]

Loving the frame design!

I printed some more parts. One problem accoured, 3D printed components do not fit exactly, which means that you always have to plan a certain distance between two parts that sit directly on top of each other. Maybe a 0.5mm gap is enough for them to fit exactly.
I trimmed the surfaces down a bit with a File.

You also might want to tune your horizontal expansion parameters on your 3D printer. Aside from that, I always print with 0.2mm (if I recall correctly) tolerance offset in the model itself where the 3D-printed parts must join. But his may vary depending on printer settings.

 

[morj]

@morj did it with good results for his Walrus WS build, check at the end of this post: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/walrus-ws-—-2-6l-ryzen-workstation-with-rtx-a2000-and-optimized-cooling.17513/post-266324
As well as @robbee with is Talos build: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/talos-a-new-living-room-proof-computer.17255/post-267356

Yeah, as I mentioned in the post itself, the idea is taken from this video.

 

[Curiosity]

@Da_Korn Love it. I had a similar idea in my build, to have an XT60 available for 12v out if needed. so far I haven't had a use but I like having the option.

 

[CC Ricers]

I like the flexibility of this layout. You can either use a short GPU with a full-width PSU, or go with a longer card with external brick or a narrower PSU (like HD-Plex) to place on the motherboard side.

 

[Da_Korn]

Thanks for all the Feedback.

I did some changes to the rear, designed and printed the bottom Panels and reworked all the cabling.

rear panel, printed with the Infill technique mentioned above:

AC Power:

12v out:

More Cables:

Bottom Panel. I´m not quite happy with the current design, I need to change a few things there. Here´s how it looks now:

I should have taken more Photos.