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Prototype 8.5 liter sandwich case with extra wide GPU cupport (2.7 slots)
- Thread starter CC Ricers
- Start date
Here's two more renders, one in silver and vertical position, and another one in black and horizontal. The black I hope will approximate the plastic look well. Power button goes in the round opening, so the front panel (in horizontal position) is blank.
How are you going to tackle PSU Placement? The AC, GPU PCIe & 24 pin Connectors are in a unfavorable position.
I'm still working out the details on how the PSU will be placed so that it works well in both horizontal and vertical mode. This is the only major feature left on the case that I need to work on.
Horizontally, it should be like the Dan A4 suspended with a bracket, and with the AC outlet coming out the top and then routing the extension to the back opening. Vertically, it is best flush against the bottom (which becomes the back side in vertical mode). A possibility would be to make a large opening in the back panel to directly mount the PSU with mounting screws and handle any placement of the AC connector.
Horizontally, it should be like the Dan A4 suspended with a bracket, and with the AC outlet coming out the top and then routing the extension to the back opening. Vertically, it is best flush against the bottom (which becomes the back side in vertical mode). A possibility would be to make a large opening in the back panel to directly mount the PSU with mounting screws and handle any placement of the AC connector.
I think it would be an option.
I'm not a fan of RGB either, but glass side panels would look nice.
Clear panels will be optional. For opaque side panels they will be a material that matches more closely the material for the rest of the case. So for the ABS (3D printed) cases, that will be opaque matte acrylic or perhaps also 3D printed, and for the metal case it will also be of the same metal.
The l9x65 cooler won't even fit in this case. Clearance inside the case is ~48mm so the main one of concern is Cryorig C7 and all its variants. I know those can be loud as heck in the DAN A4 (there's a video of it somewhere too) but we are known for our clever solutions for fan ducting. Would a duct to isolate the sides like this one help at all to lessen turbulence?
Yeah, it's just bad I don't have a C7 to test with and those cost a whole lot in the US now
But I have also recently ordered a test part that would also be part of my main build- an Asus Strix R9 390X. This would be a great part to test because it is a very large card and also, that wattage- it may not be the best performing on the market anymore but these qualities would be good to test edge cases for thermals and card size.Right now also seems like a good time to mention the fan support. I want to have support for the most famous 92mm liquid cooler, the Asetek 645LT. This is done through the bottom fan vents, which are deliberately spaced so that 92mm fans can be installed on the front (as shown in the circled areas below). These slots are spaced 83mm from side to side, the spacing of the fan holes. The blue line measures approx. 92mm long and this gives leeway to mount the fan and/or radiator.
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3.2mm, wide enough to insert M3 screws w/o having to thread, while not passing through (the countersunk heads sit in the groove of the slots). The narrow slots are designed more for screw insertion than ventilation.
For the other slots, it would make sense in a milling situation to make them wide, right now it's a thou to big to run with a 1/8" cutter, and that's not counting surfacing.
If milling narrow slots becomes too difficult for the given thickness of the pieces, is the task in running the length easier with a thinner piece of metal?
That is, for the aluminum version a different design could be used to get around this problem. In which the vents are all wide in the thicker piece, but a thinner plate of aluminum can be milled separately with the narrow slots for mounting the fan, and then attaches together with the fan screws.
Ah, got it. I will come up with a different design for the metal version of that bottom panel. Perhaps just use a few 1/8" diameter holes drilled into it.
Right now I'm putting a hold on design tweaks to the rear I/O until I receive my other graphics card for testing. I want to take measurements as a baseline for oversized cards so that I can have the design updated and avoid printing parts that might turn out to be incompatible with the card.
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I was actually thinking of the Alpenföhn Black Ridge which has a height of 47mm. This fan is pretty much similar to the discontinued nh-l12.
I finally got the Strix R9 390X in the mail, one big chungus of a card (still 2 slot though) and havea good idea of the size now. 30cm from end to end not including the PCIe bracket, and while it's 38mm from the top of the bracket to the top of the card shroud, there is one heatpipe sticking out further to 44mm.
Gonna keep making further tweaks to the design until I can get it right and still not too difficult to print. I may have to increase the case height by a few mm but I'm trying not to.
Gonna keep making further tweaks to the design until I can get it right and still not too difficult to print. I may have to increase the case height by a few mm but I'm trying not to.
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