A cube case idea, any comments?

[4nzz1]

Hello SFF Gods!

After lurking in the shadows for a while, I finally had the courage to register and post my idea.

I’ll start with a little background story. I recently moved to the other side of the world and couldn’t take my ATX tower with me. This meant that it’s time to start thinking of an upgrade, but I also wanted a rig that I could take with me if I ever decided to go back. The plan is to reward myself with this pc after I get a job.

The idea that I have isn’t by any means the smallest there is, it’s nowhere near these incredible 6-12l cases that I’ve been seeing on this forum. I wanted to design a case that can pretty much handle most ATX-sized parts and cooling, without being an ATX case. This allows me to easily go back to a larger tower if I ever want to, without having to buy all new parts. I have no interest in water cooling and rather want some proper air flow.

This quick render shows the size compared to a very common measuring tool.

Spoiler

The basic idea is sort of a love child of Node 304 and Mac Pro, with a bit of Osmi in the mix.

The plan regarding parts include:
-Z170 ITX Mobo
-6700k
-32gb DDR4
-3xSSD for dual boot, for example 2x256gb+1x1tb
-ATX PSU
-An undecided GPU, let’s see what the red team has up their sleeves

In its current form, this cube or cuboid can house all these, a tower cooler up to around 160mm, a GPU up to 325mm, an ATX PSU up to about 170mm, and a 140mm fan.

Measurements for the case are 232x232x359mm, including 30mm feet. This sums up to about 19.3 litres, without the feet the volume would be 17.7 litres but for obvious reasons those can’t be removed. This puts it pretty much on par with the Node 304, being a tiny bit smaller.

Here are some more renders, plus screenshots from SketchUp as rendering with the parts would take about 17 years with my laptop. The parts belong to their rightful owners, of course.

Spoiler

For materials I’ve been planning 1mm and 2mm aluminium and speaker cloth to cover the ventilation holes. If there is a better fabric for the job, I would gladly hear more about that. I’m also interested to hear if the aluminium isn’t sturdy enough to handle the weight.

After reading through all the project threads here I believe that I have some sort of understanding what is possible and what isn’t but your expertise is always invaluable. The plan is to also aim for the most silent system possible, with noise dampening materials and other witchcraft.

In case it’s not clear, the case intakes fresh air from the bottom and blows it out from the top. This obviously rules out for example blower GPUs, but there are always compromises to be made. Maybe intaking from the top and fighting against convection could also be an option?

I have never done a scratch build so please tell me if you immediately see that this doesn’t make any sense. Time frame for the build is very open as I still need the job first, that’s why I didn’t start an official build log. I just like to plan things ahead.

Is there something that you would do differently in my shoes or something that could otherwise be improved?

Thanks for making it this far, you guys rock!

 

[jeshikat]

Welcome!

You said you want to maintain compatibility with ATX-type parts but really the only "ATX" part in your proposal is the PSU. Price/perf and noise is better with ATX but otherwise you could save quite a bit of space with SFX/SFX-L.

Few things I noticed from a quick inspection:

 

[4nzz1]

Welcome!

You said you want to maintain compatibility with ATX-type parts but really the only "ATX" part in your proposal is the PSU. Price/perf and noise is better with ATX but otherwise you could save quite a bit of space with SFX/SFX-L.

Thank you and thanks for the feedback!

By "ATX-type parts" I meant things like the PSU, larger coolers and fans, and larger GPUs. Basically everything except the mobo.
Exactly price/perf and noise are the main things I'd like to go with ATX PSU, and the fact that I can easily use it if I decide to build an ATX rig in the future.
I calculated that if I want to have a cube shape and a 140mm fan the bottom should be at least 210x210mm even with SFX/SFX-L so going to about 230x230mm isn't too big of a difference if it means I get to have ATX PSU.

The photos are missing some of the finer details.
The PSU is attached to the vertical plate which is missing the hole for PSU exhaust and screws. The plug is then routed to the bottom.
Do you think that 1mm aluminium is too thin to support a 200g fan? Should probably make it a bit thicker then. Or did you mean the part between the fan hole and the edge? That part could easily just be removed so the fan would be supported by two "bars".
I also thought that making an "almost box" from 1mm aluminium shouldn't be impossible, there are just flanges in the bottom part to be able to screw it in place.
The plan is to screw all the parts together so the only "manufacturing" would be cutting and bending.
I'm still figuring out how to do the GPU retention flange in a simple way, right now there is just a hole for the flange to slide into without securing it in place.

 

[EdZ]

The 'too thin' comment is in regards to the space between the circular cutout and the edge of the sheet.

If you do not already have an ATX PSU purchased, I would also recommend SFX. Even if it does not reduce the outside dimensions of the case, it frees up room inside for cable routing. You can still use an SFX PSU in a regular ATX case: Silverstone sell a very cheap SFX-ATX adapter plate, and using one again means more free space inside the case for other components.

 

[jeshikat]

Do you think that 1mm aluminium is too thin to support a 200g fan?

1mm would be fine for just the fan. But I think using 1.5mm aluminum for the frame would be better since it's quite a bit stronger than 1.0mm. The NCASE M1 uses 1.5mm for its frame and it feels pretty sturdy.

Like EdZ said though, my "Too thin" comment was regarding the distance from the hole to the edge of the sheet.

I also thought that making an "almost box" from 1mm aluminium shouldn't be impossible, there are just flanges in the bottom part to be able to screw it in place.

There are specialized tooling to get around the issue but take a look at this post to help understand why it's difficult: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...l-atx-unit-in-the-world.934/page-2#post-18061

I'm still figuring out how to do the GPU retention flange in a simple way, right now there is just a hole for the flange to slide into without securing it in place.

Rather than a flange formed from the base sheet, you could have a separate L-bracket that screws to the base and then the card screws to it. That way the video card is secured.

 

[Thehack]

It would make sense to have the IO on the top, like FT-03 Mini, that way you can use it easily. The FT-03 is a pretty cool concept. There are places where it can be more optimized though.

 

[Ceros_X]

I am also a fan of the SFX PSU - my Corsair SF450 is awesome.

You mentioned wanting to take the PC with you if you come back, how do you see yourself doing that? Carry on? Packed in luggage? Mailed? I have built a PC for travel and have come to the conclusion that thin rectangle cases are much easier to travel with than cube towers. Just want to make sure you don't finish designing the case then still can't take it with you lol.

Looking good so far! As far as GPUs maybe check out the LP nVidia 1050 and on the red side the single slot XFX RX 460.

 

[4nzz1]

Thank you for the comments again!

There are specialized tooling to get around the issue but take a look at this post to help understand why it's difficult: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...l-atx-unit-in-the-world.934/page-2#post-18061

I'll take a closer look at that, I don't want to design anything that's impossible to manufacture, even if this case is just for myself.

It would make sense to have the IO on the top, like FT-03 Mini, that way you can use it easily. The FT-03 is a pretty cool concept. There are places where it can be more optimized though.

The FT-03 Mini was definitely giving me some inspiration for this and I noticed that it's not very optimized. I thought about the IO on top but decided that it would increase the height even more plus I would have to come up with a simple way to hide the cables.
Previously I have noticed that I don't play with the back ports very often as long as there's a couple of USB ports in the front for an occasional card reader etc. So flipping the case on its side shouldn't be too much of a hassle every now and then.
I also forgot to mention that for easy maintenance, the whole shell can be lifted off in one piece, and it's held on place by magnets or some other unexplained magic that I haven't decided yet.

I am also a fan of the SFX PSU - my Corsair SF450 is awesome.

You mentioned wanting to take the PC with you if you come back, how do you see yourself doing that? Carry on? Packed in luggage? Mailed? I have built a PC for travel and have come to the conclusion that thin rectangle cases are much easier to travel with than cube towers. Just want to make sure you don't finish designing the case then still can't take it with you lol.

Looking good so far! As far as GPUs maybe check out the LP nVidia 1050 and on the red side the single slot XFX RX 460.

I might have to take a second look regarding SFX, it seems that they have developed quite a bit since my last build.
Regarding travelling, I was thinking of packed in luggage. It would only be a one time thing so I'm not designing this specifically for that, just to be easier to take with me than a 50 litre ATX case.
About the GPUs, I'm planning on something packing a bit more punch, i.e. 1070/1080 or Vega. Kind of depends on hackintosh support as well if I decide to go that route.

Thanks again for the feedback, makes me realize all the small things that I couldn't have thought of by myself.

 

[Thehack]

The FT-03 Mini was definitely giving me some inspiration for this and I noticed that it's not very optimized. I thought about the IO on top but decided that it would increase the height even more plus I would have to come up with a simple way to hide the cables.
Previously I have noticed that I don't play with the back ports very often as long as there's a couple of USB ports in the front for an occasional card reader etc. So flipping the case on its side shouldn't be too much of a hassle every now and then.
I also forgot to mention that for easy maintenance, the whole shell can be lifted off in one piece, and it's held on place by magnets or some other unexplained magic that I haven't decided yet.

The height clearance is required for comfortably routing the cables into 90 degrees. It shouldn't change whether it is on top or bottom.

I'd stay say though that having to lift it up is a big annoyance since there will be a lot of cables in the way. You imagine just lifting a PC, but I imagine lifting a PC with about 6 cables coming out of it.

 

[4nzz1]

The height clearance is required for comfortably routing the cables into 90 degrees. It shouldn't change whether it is on top or bottom.

But if I flip it 180 degrees I would also need room for airflow in the bottom, so theres the current 30mm plus what would be required for "comfortably routing the cables into 90 degrees" in the top.
I'm still looking into that idea as it would definitely be better regarding airflow and usability etc., I just don't know how to make the shell easily detachable and the structure would have to be a lot more rigid that way.

I'd stay say though that having to lift it up is a big annoyance since there will be a lot of cables in the way. You imagine just lifting a PC, but I imagine lifting a PC with about 6 cables coming out of it.

Haha yes cables are of course annoying. The PC wouldn't have to be "lifted" so to say, just flipped 90 degrees on its side. With neatly tied cables combined into one "tube" that shouldn't be too problematic.
Thanks for the input again! This is still just a sketch and I would love to find an already made case that would fill all my requirements, but there doesn't seem to be any.