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Stalled ~7L console-style case concept (and possible future NCASE product)

odeniz

Caliper Novice
Jun 16, 2017
21
39
Bottom left, looks nice.

I know its not final design. 7L makes its highly portable case, so people may want to carry it in their backpack, but sharp corners can be very uncomfortable.
 

Mac_nuggets

Chassis Packer
Jul 26, 2017
18
22
Personally I would want a version without a window, having non-windowed side panels looks, in my opinion, more sophisticated and refined.
 

Wahaha360

a.k.a W360
SFFLAB
NCASE
SSUPD
Feb 23, 2015
2,131
10,697
Personally I would want a version without a window, having non-windowed side panels looks, in my opinion, more sophisticated and refined.

Speaking of windowless designs.

G-Unique @guryhwa has a new fanless PSU for a 18+ Core (X99 or X299) and Titan XP/1080Ti setup in this case.

So I added the support for *four 120x15mm fans in this case with a new outer panel to match. I might try and cook some eggs on the outer panels when the system hits full load.

 
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Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
5,957
4,957
OCD Alarm shutting down, symmetry re-established. Panic levels below safety margins. All is well.

It looks awesome !
Is there a reason why the fans are placed deeper in the chassis and not completely against (or with minimal distance) from the grill ? The grill's thickness doesn't seem to match the panel's total thickness (with beveled edges) and it seems there is some distance between the fans and the grill.
 

Wahaha360

a.k.a W360
SFFLAB
NCASE
SSUPD
Feb 23, 2015
2,131
10,697
OCD Alarm shutting down, symmetry re-established. Panic levels below safety margins. All is well.

It looks awesome !
Is there a reason why the fans are placed deeper in the chassis and not completely against (or with minimal distance) from the grill ? The grill's thickness doesn't seem to match the panel's total thickness (with beveled edges) and it seems there is some distance between the fans and the grill.

There are noise issues when the fans are too close to the vents (see A4 thread). The space is for dust filter and minimizing this noise.
 

Necere

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
NCASE
Feb 22, 2015
1,720
3,284
Any updates for this marvellous project?
Not really, not on my side at least. Been busy with real life stuff, and to the extent I've been working on things it's been the equivalent of CAD doodling on whatever idea catches my fancy. W360 was going to prototype his version, but he moved on to something completely different so I don't know if that's still in the cards. He's also moving back to the US from having been in China for the better part of the past year or so, so that's taking up his immediate time.

I think we both have a bit of ADHD when it comes to working on things, and in my case at least being too much of a perfectionist with how I want things to be vs. what is actually possible with manufacturing limitations. Also doesn't help that we never agree on anything :p

I've been thinking about starting a thread just for sharing some of the designs I get inspired to work on for a few days or weeks. It bothers me that we've started quite a few threads for various projects that we haven't followed through with. This is kind of part of the ideation/design process that various ideas will be explored and then ultimately rejected or left unfinished, but I don't want to show people something and have people get invested in it, only to end up looking flaky if we don't deliver on it. So I wonder if creating a thread just for collecting some of my random designs in might be better. That might allow projects to develop more organically as well, since I think threads started for a single design might be too constrained by the initial concept. Like lately I've been working on another slim case design, but it's intended more as a smaller, lower power box for media, emulation and other light gaming. Form-factor wise it's similar to the concepts presented in this thread, but functionally it's on a different level, so I don't see it really belonging here. A more general thread for collecting random ideas, on the other hand, might be better for stuff like that.
 

Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
5,957
4,957
I've been thinking about starting a thread just for sharing some of the designs I get inspired to work on for a few days or weeks. It bothers me that we've started quite a few threads for various projects that we haven't followed through with.
I personally don't mind as you label the topics with the very clear word "concept" and you're always honest in it being no more than an idea to explore. If anything, it might inspire people to pursue and design their own projects.
 

Wahaha360

a.k.a W360
SFFLAB
NCASE
SSUPD
Feb 23, 2015
2,131
10,697
Any updates for this marvellous project?

W360 was going to prototype his version, but he moved on to something completely different so I don't know if that's still in the cards.



Here are some prototype pics. Due to new environment regulations, most of the anodizing factories are shutting down. I'm currently on a waitlist for anodizing.

This also creates some problems as to when I will get my hands on the prototype. The prototype is in China and I'm going to be moving around in South East Asia.

He's also moving back to the US from having been in China for the better part of the past year or so, so that's taking up his immediate time.

On my way to Thailand, so USA not sure when. If I go missing, remember to answer the emails :D



I don't like vaporware or being in that state for too long, so I put things in motion in the last year. Between collaboration with NFC, G-Unique, PlayfulPhoenix, DAN (maybe), and Kmpkt (maybe), you guys might see more than vaporware in 2018
 
Last edited:

confusis

John Morrison. Founder and Team Leader of SFF.N
SFF Network
SFF Workshop
SFFn Staff
Jun 19, 2015
4,346
7,457
sff.network
Ever heard a rack server? That's unfortunately what the above would sound like :/ (I've considered the same format many times in the past, and noise concerns changed my mind)
 

Necere

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
NCASE
Feb 22, 2015
1,720
3,284
Ever heard a rack server? That's unfortunately what the above would sound like :/ (I've considered the same format many times in the past, and noise concerns changed my mind)
Rack servers are loud because noise isn't a concern and the fans are run at full speed all the time. With appropriately-chosen components and fans running at lower RPM, there's no reason to think it couldn't be reasonably quiet. That's why I specified this as a lower end system. CPU under 65W TDP, low profile GPU only, so probably a max of 75W. Under 175W all-in.
 

Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
5,957
4,957
Ever heard a rack server? That's unfortunately what the above would sound like :/ (I've considered the same format many times in the past, and noise concerns changed my mind)
Those Delta fans usually run between 9,000 and 15.000 rpm and are sometimes over 50mm deep. Those scream like a banshee that's for sure.
But the default setup for the PowerMac G5 also includes dual 60mm fans in a seperate compartment for the PSU and those are inaudible. I wouldn't doubt the Noctua fans would allow a good amount of airflow with minimum noise.

I like the internal design, especially with a nice internal AC-DC setup this would shine.
 
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confusis

John Morrison. Founder and Team Leader of SFF.N
SFF Network
SFF Workshop
SFFn Staff
Jun 19, 2015
4,346
7,457
sff.network
Valid points raised guys :)

The main concern I would have isn't the fans themselves, it's the noise of air rushing through confined spaces such as 1u passive coolers - they're dense to ensure good cooling, but this also means highest static pressure is needed :/
 
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theGryphon

Airflow Optimizer
Jun 15, 2015
299
237
Rack servers are loud because noise isn't a concern and the fans are run at full speed all the time. With appropriately-chosen components and fans running at lower RPM, there's no reason to think it couldn't be reasonably quiet. That's why I specified this as a lower end system. CPU under 65W TDP, low profile GPU only, so probably a max of 75W. Under 175W all-in.

I really think once you go to the realm of low profile GPUs the traditional layout (L4 + the FlexATX PSU above the motherboard) is the best. It would result in at most 250x200x100 = 5lt with CPU coolers up to 75mm. And there would be no need for tiny fans ;)
 
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Necere

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
NCASE
Feb 22, 2015
1,720
3,284
Valid points raised guys :)

The main concern I would have isn't the fans themselves, it's the noise of air rushing through confined spaces such as 1u passive coolers - they're dense to ensure good cooling, but this also means highest static pressure is needed :/
Fair, though again, lower power = lower heat = less cooling and airflow needed. I haven't tested something like this though, so I don't know for sure; it may be that a 65W CPU still needs more cooling than could be achieved with a small heatsink at reasonable noise levels. Might have to move down to something <45W.

I really think once you go to the realm of low profile GPUs the traditional layout (L4 + the FlexATX PSU above the motherboard) is the best. It would result in at most 250x200x100 = 5lt with CPU coolers up to 75mm. And there would be no need for tiny fans ;)
Generally, boxier designs are better for cooling performance for a given volume, so I'd agree if that were the metric I was most concerned with. But the concept here was really more about getting that slim, console form factor, rather than absolute thermal performance and space efficiency.
 

prava

Cable-Tie Ninja
Mar 21, 2017
171
259


Here are some prototype pics. Due to new environment regulations, most of the anodizing factories are shutting down. I'm currently on a waitlist for anodizing.

This also creates some problems as to when I will get my hands on the prototype. The prototype is in China and I'm going to be moving around in South East Asia.



On my way to Thailand, so USA not sure when. If I go missing, remember to answer the emails :D



I don't like vaporware or being in that state for too long, so I put things in motion in the last year. Between collaboration with NFC, G-Unique, PlayfulPhoenix, DAN (maybe), and Kmpkt (maybe), you guys might see more than vaporware in 2018

Thailand? Enjoy your Chang-over! ;)