Custom bottom 200mm fan mount for The First

Honiix

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
New User
Sep 28, 2020
3
5
Hi everyone,

Just passing by to present my work on a overcharged The First (Ryzen 2700x + RTX 2080) from Monster Labo.
Because I'm going too far in watts consumption and thus heat, I killed 3 Noctua NF-A14 PWM that were mounted on the top due to overheating.
So I took my miter saw, a bunch of spruce wood laying around, and an angle finder to build something to address that.
After maybe too many hours, finally, I got a working custom bottom 200mm fan mount for The First:


Also, those feet won't ruin my desk varnish!





Look at the temperatures now !!! Especially the one for the SSDs:

Furmark + CPU-Z stress test 60 minutesTop fanBottom fan
Ambient25°C25°C
CPU84°C79°C
GPU77°C77°C
Chipset67°C56°C
CPU FAN 140mm1032 RPM1041 RPM
Chassis Fan 200mm643 RPM (dead bearings, makes a lot of noise)812 RPM (brand new)
SSD SATA 146°C30°C
SSD SATA 254°C36°C
SSD M.260°C44°C

I also cut the top and bottom panels of the PSU to allow better airflow.

The GPU can keep it's boost clock longer, this is probably why I didn't lose any degree their.

I'm very happy with the design. I choose a 60° angle for the external face of the feet. I'm planning to remake the wood parts in oak... someday.
What do you think of the look? :)

The feet were especially fun to make :



If anyone is interested in the SketchUp file, I'll be happy to share, but I don't know in which format to export (3DS, Collada, DWG, DXF, FBX, KMZ, OBJ, VRML, XSI there is too many).

I would like to take the opportunity to thanks Monster Labo for their great first PC case. This is by far the most silent PC I ever had.

Honiix
 

tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
2,338
Wait...the selling point of this case is supposed to be its fanless, is it not? Well..at least for the CPU due to the massive built-in heatsink.

1 'improvement' that I suggest is to stain the spruce wood base to give a more 'dark/black' look to match the case. As of now, it is, sort of, 'standing out' too much, just not harmonizing with the case.

With that giant 200mm propeller on the bottom, now the system looks like a rocket ready to be launched. Maybe the system should be named as the Rocket instead of the First. All it needs is a conical top.
 
Last edited:

Honiix

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
New User
Sep 28, 2020
3
5
Wait...the selling point of this case is supposed to be its fanless, is it not? Well..at least for the CPU due to the massive built-in heatsink.
It is, but I also want to game some times and for this, I need a bit more air. The rest of the time, the computer is inaudible!

1 'improvement' that I suggest is to stain the spruce wood base to give a more 'dark/black' look to match the case. As of now, it is, sort of, 'standing out' too much, just not harmonizing with the case.
I thought of that in case I never get the time to remake it in oak.

With that giant 200mm propeller on the bottom, now the system looks like a rocket ready to be launched. Maybe the system should be named as the Rocket instead of the First. All it needs is a conical top.
What about "The flying lipstick"? ;)
 
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MarcParis

Spatial Philosopher
Apr 1, 2016
3,616
2,705
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Indeed "the First" is truly capable.

I might build one to replace my SM550. I find that my IS-60 tends to be noisier on more recent games...I assume games will become more and more used in gaming..;)

What about bottom i/o? how did you handle cables with your customer fan mount?
 

Honiix

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
New User
Sep 28, 2020
3
5
I have the I/O plate on the back. So I don't have cables passing by the bottom. I had to make sure no cables go too low to prevent them touching the fan.
Sure, before I could plug cables on the motherboard by using the hole in the bottom, but removing the 3 outer panels is not that long. And it's not every day you add new cables in there ;)
 
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MarcParis

Spatial Philosopher
Apr 1, 2016
3,616
2,705
I have the I/O plate on the back. So I don't have cables passing by the bottom. I had to make sure no cables go too low to prevent them touching the fan.
Sure, before I could plug cables on the motherboard by using the hole in the bottom, but removing the 3 outer panels is not that long. And it's not every day you add new cables in there ;)
Thanks for sharing your tip...:)