DAN C4-SFX

[dondan]

UPDATE
Here is the feature list of the final sample of the C4-SFX

Added features:
1.) GPU top = default
2.) 16mm more in width (CPU heatsinks up to 145mm)
3.) 3mm more in height (support Noctua C14S on all boards)
4.) Full 140 Fan support for GPU intake or Ghetto Mod
5.) Remove Slot-Hole bars - it is now one single hole (improve temps for Blower and 30x0 FE cards)
6.) Include an optional GPU exhaust duct (hot air from 30x0 FE back fan will be not recycled by the AIO it will forced out over the sides)
7.) More vent holes on the side panel
8.) All sides can be covered (on the old sample the bottom would be open if GPU is on top)
9.) Improved AIO bracket (more airflow) and shift able to two positions.
10.) Increased stiffness of the chassis.
11.) Easy way to install even GPUs that uses the complete internal length without take the case apart.
12.) Optimized compatibility for SFX PSU mounted with exhaust to the front. This one will be the primary PSU position. It will support C14s with dual 140mm fan and also (Feature 6 on AIO mode)
13.) Iceman Pump-Res combo support.
14.) Improvement on the motherboard tray - the GPU can move more air out the case under the board.
15.) Two location for PSU power inlet. (Increase compatibility for some heatsinks)
16.) The GPU must no longer source through two layers of vent holes (ref. Optimum Tech Video)
17.) No GPU sacking bracket.
18.) Simplify cooling best practice
- GPU on top pulls air in and exhaust over left, right and back side. GPU will nearly not affect CPU cooling solutions)
- Tower Heatsink: Pull air from the back, exhaust over 140mm fan on the AIO bracket
- Top down Heatsink: Pull air from the bottom, exhaust over 2x140mm fan on the AIO bracket
- 280 AIO: Pull air from the bottom, exhaust over 2x140mm fan on the AIO bracket


Dropped features:
1.) Sandwich Layout
2.) PSU rotating 90°
3.) dropping 240AIO and 120mm Fan support on the AIO bracket


Evaluating:
1.) USB-C Port next to the Power Button (90% final)
2.) Special duct bars for Ghetto Mod so air will be forced into the GPU heatsink.
3.) Making outer panels with sand blast and die stamp

 

[paulesko]

You´re a legend. This is looking great.

 

[Fitchew]

Completely new case! O_O

 

[Stinkybear]

All those look meaningful. I can see ducts becoming more essential/popular in the future.

 

[dondan]

Here is a rendering on the AsrockRack ROMED4ID-2T (Epyc deep-ITX)

Here is a Update on this topic. Noctua made a sample, while the heatsink does outperform a U12A with a 130WTDP CPU it perform wose than the C14S in the 170W class. The problem are the long heatpipes (Dry-Out-Effect). They droped the project because of this. But I have a different idea that I will ask them.

 

[robbee]

The problem are the long heatpipes (Dry-Out-Effect)

Wonder how GPU board partners handle this issue then though, the distance of the pipes on your render doesn't seem any longer than the distance of a GPU chip to the end of the heatsink on a large +300mm length card.

 

[panda_spud]

Love the air cooling support on this case. Looking forward to the end product.

 

[DrHudacris]

Wonder how GPU board partners handle this issue then though, the distance of the pipes on your render doesn't seem any longer than the distance of a GPU chip to the end of the heatsink on a large +300mm length card.

I could be wrong, but on GPUs don't the heat pipes have the die in the middle and have the pipes extend in both directions away from it? Whereas the C type CPU coolers have CPU at one end of the heat pipes and extend in one direction away. Contrast with tower coolers where the middle of the heat pipes are at the cold plate with both ends of the heat pipe extending into fin stack.

I wonder if this dual C14 cooler would perform better with this principle in mind: middle of heat pipes over cold plate with one end extending into first half of heat sink (like a regular C14S) and the other end bending up the other way extending through the remainder. Like the Morpheus cooler, but for a CPU.

 

[Valantar]

Wonder how GPU board partners handle this issue then though, the distance of the pipes on your render doesn't seem any longer than the distance of a GPU chip to the end of the heatsink on a large +300mm length card.

AFAIK the concept cooler here has a heatpipe layout like the bottom in this illustration, with the top two being relatively common GPU heatpipe layouts. The bottom one is clearly much longer.

 

[paulesko]

looking at the last drawing:

Half the heatpipes could go to the left doing all those turns, and the other half to the right in a more straight fashion, so each side is more or less equal lenght

edit:

here you can see a well engineered design

 

[dondan]

Yes i know there are different ways to make it and you have to keep in mind that it should still be possible to push the fins on it. Noctua just took my idea as a base and developed a optimized solution with their know how.

 

[Valantar]

looking at the last drawing:

Half the heatpipes could go to the left doing all those turns, and the other half to the right in a more straight fashion, so each side is more or less equal lenght

edit:

here you can see a well engineered design

That could work - it depends on how much performance those upper-layer heatpipes would provide given that they can't contact the cold plate directly (though I guess you could squeeze eight small diameter pipes into a single cold plate, 2x6 thicker ones would likely be better). Nonetheless, that design would leave me worried that the overhanging part of the fin stack would be underutilized. Also, it loses the mechanical support of the original design (with two layers of heatpipes extending towards its end, preventing the cooler sagging).

Yes i know there are different ways to make it and you have to keep in mind that it should still be possible to push the fins on it. Noctua just took my idea as a base and developed a optimized solution with their know how.

Looking forward to seeing their results!

 

[proficide]

Are 2x 80mm fans still possible with a 280mm rad or would that not fit.

 

[paulesko]

That could work - it depends on how much performance those upper-layer heatpipes would provide given that they can't contact the cold plate directly (though I guess you could squeeze eight small diameter pipes into a single cold plate, 2x6 thicker ones would likely be better). Nonetheless, that design would leave me worried that the overhanging part of the fin stack would be underutilized. Also, it loses the mechanical support of the original design (with two layers of heatpipes extending towards its end, preventing the cooler sagging).

Looking forward to seeing their results!

I just make the draw that way in order to "see" the idea better, but maybe it´s more confusing. I imagine the heatpipes alternatively being one type or the other, more so given the fact that the motherboard mounts an Epyc cpu with plenty of room to put heatpipes with direct contact with the coldplate.

 

[Daemos]

UPDATE
Here is the feature list of the final sample of the C4-SFX

Added features:
1.) GPU top = default
2.) 16mm more in width (CPU heatsinks up to 145mm)
3.) 3mm more in height (support Noctua C14S on all boards)

Based on my calculations that should make it approx 13.4L in volume right? If so, that's very nice considering the features!

 

[dondan]

Looking forward to seeing their results!

Noctua made a sample, while the heatsink does outperform a U12A with a 130WTDP CPU it perform wose than the C14S in the 170W class. The problem are the long heatpipes (Dry-Out-Effect). They droped the project because of this. But I have a different idea that I will ask them.

Based on my calculations that should make it approx 13.4L in volume right? If so, that's very nice considering the features!

The Volume will be 13.37L

 

[dPunisher]

UPDATE
Dropped features:
1.) Sandwich Layout

Good job Dan.
No option for Sandwich layout, that loss annoys me a bit...

 

[remotebert]

@dondan I know this is probably a long shot and too far along in the case development, but it is possible to add mounting points for the EVGA gpu support bracket?

https://www.evga.com/support/faq/FAQdetails.aspx?faqid=59786

 

[riba2233]

@dondan I know this is probably a long shot and too far along in the case development, but it is possible to add mounting points for the EVGA gpu support bracket?

https://www.evga.com/support/faq/FAQdetails.aspx?faqid=59786

There are fairly standard, not evga specific and I think only server cases use them (or maybe some prebuilts for shipping purposes).

 

[robbee]

There are fairly standard, not evga specific and I think only server cases use them (or maybe some prebuilts for shipping purposes).

Yeah they are for server retention brackets and are actually not so easy to support as the mounting holes are different between generations of cards and card length varies too.