Completed DSE Breathe - A 7.3L Vertical Format ITX Tower

Damascus

Master of Cramming
Feb 27, 2018
553
395
Can you share how you're mounting it?
Yep, can't get pics rn but I'll describe it as best I can.

  1. Remove support bars
  2. Bend/adjust to the max allowed clearance on the breathe. This took a lot of effort but I got mine level- heating it up using some benchmarks helped. (If applicable, do the step 5 mod now when you have easier access to the underside)
  3. Either use a 12.5mm fan with zipties or continue to step 4
  4. Clip the fan frame, leaving just the hub.
  5. Measure it out and the bend/remove a mm or two in an area the size of the fan hub
  6. Install the fan with heat resiatant silicon, epoxy, double sided tape or velcro tape (double - triple the hole depth and use additional silicon or epoxy for the cooler side)
  7. Install, and hopefully profit.
 
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Damascus

Master of Cramming
Feb 27, 2018
553
395
The big difference for me will definitely be the cpu cooler, I'm going from a passive cooling on a d14 to a teeny little 92/100mm fan setup. Hopefully Hermes does well...
 

LaboonTheWhale

Caliper Novice
Jun 14, 2018
31
37
The big difference for me will definitely be the cpu cooler, I'm going from a passive cooling on a d14 to a teeny little 92/100mm fan setup. Hopefully Hermes does well...
Yeah I'm coming from a u14s and a hybrid gpu to 92mm fan cpu cooler and the stock ftw 3 cooler. It's so loud and it's actually kinda getting to me. Granted I could step down in specs but nah.

I have the cryorig C7, Silverstone ar11, and jonsbo hp-400 to test. I may go back to my Nano S just for the peace and quiet. Even at 60%fans the ftw 3 can be heard through my headphones
 

Damascus

Master of Cramming
Feb 27, 2018
553
395
I have the cryorig C7, Silverstone ar11, and jonsbo hp-400 to test. I may go back to my Nano S just for the peace and quiet. Even at 60%fans the ftw 3 can be heard through my headphones
I'll let you know how the fan swap goes, it's by far my least favourite part about the FTW3
 

acelaya35

Efficiency Noob
Oct 4, 2017
5
12
Obligatory DSE Breathe Build!


Notes:
  • I love the white, it's so.....white.
  • Would have liked a tongue and groove system for the side panels. Empty the panels flex in, full they tend to bulge out a bit if you aren't careful with your psu cables.
  • SO MUCH ROOM FOR GPU ACTIVITIES.
  • Stock SF600 PSU cables were annoying but manageable, still will pick up shorter cables in the future.
  • I want to shave down my power cable, run it through to the back and polish up a piece of Ebony or Pine and make this a side oriented case, ala Dan A4. I like those InWin cases with the wood on them.
  • Cryorig C7 Cu is the girl from college who is super beautiful but obnoxiously loud. Need to change fans.
  • I came from a Silverstone SG-05, already a small case (~10L), this thing is super small and I love it very much.
  • The Breathe and my old SG-05 both fit in my padded wheelie carry on! I can fly with two ITX rigs! :0
  • Case is solid with the panels on, Love the light weight aluminum, I think it's a mistake moving to steel.
  • small chads from where the holes were punched out, not super noticeable but definitely could have been cleaner for $175.
Overall I love this case, it is everything I could have wanted and more.
 

gunpalcyril

Airflow Optimizer
Aug 7, 2016
294
319
Anyone else having issues with using gpu's display port while installed inside their breathe case? I'm able to replicate the problem with several different gpus and different display port cables, the only common denominator is that the gpu has to be mounted inside the breathe case for the display ports to not work... such a weird bug lol.

I can't get any display signal with only the display ports, hdmi ports work fine. If I connect the display port to one of my gpu's outside the case while connected to pcie ribbon extender to the motherboard, it works perfectly fine.... I think there might be some pressure issue with gpu IO cutouts pushing into the gpu?

I'm hoping i'm not the only one lol, I'm hoping someone else is also experiencing this.
 
Last edited:

gunpalcyril

Airflow Optimizer
Aug 7, 2016
294
319
Nope, still nothing. I'll try running the setup with the pcie cable outside the case, and try bending it in different angles to see if anything else comes up. Such a weird bug, I even put some electrical tape around the edge of the gpu io cutouts to see if its electrical contact issue, still no luck.

Also, on another note, I just upgraded to the strix x470-i motherboard, this board is amazing! Dual m.2 drive support, and I can actually run my r5 1600 at 3.8ghz at 1.30v :D and not thermal throttle. Quality power delivery really does make a difference in motherboards.

This is in comparison to my previous gigabyte ab350n motherboard, which I could only run 3.7ghz at 1.35v (with eventual thermal throttling).

To celebrate, I decided to paint my noctua 92mm slim fan black, and it looks soooo much better. Come on noctua, step up your neutral game.

 
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Damascus

Master of Cramming
Feb 27, 2018
553
395
The elders have lied! I flipped the a9x14 so that it pushes air down onto the heatsink, temps are down 10c but there is a very distinct turbulence noise added
 
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veganzombiez

Caliper Novice
Jan 13, 2018
27
29
So I went ahead and grabbed Corsair's Premium SFF cables just to be fancy, and as expected, there's not much QoL improvement over the stock. As the main problem for both versions is the length of the 24-pin cable, I'd say getting a custom short one is probably the only major recommendation I'd suggest for the Breathe.

The biggest benefit is that the premium ATX cable, when bunched up, doesn't cause the front panel to bulge out. Overall, the individual cables are easier to bend, making cable management a bit less painful.
 
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gunpalcyril

Airflow Optimizer
Aug 7, 2016
294
319
@Damascus, I actually switched back to the nh l9a from the c7 cu because of noise from turbulence, the noise difference is night and day.

@veganzombiez I had the same experience, it doesn't feel "premium" per say, the cables are still stiff but much more manageable and better than stock. I just routed the extra length of the 24 pin in the area reserved for the ssds, I don't need 4 ssd's anyway.

@DSE If possible, for v3, maybe add a little more width to the case to accommodate a slim 92mm fan to help exhaust and introduce more airflow to the case? I'm thinking going from ~180mm to ~195mm? What do you think?
 
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DSE

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Original poster
DSE
Feb 8, 2017
137
390
@Damascus, I actually switched back to the nh l9a from the c7 cu because of noise from turbulence, the noise difference is night and day.

@veganzombiez I had the same experience, it doesn't feel "premium" per say, the cables are still stiff but much more manageable and better than stock. I just routed the extra length of the 24 pin in the area reserved for the ssds, I don't need 4 ssd's anyway.

@DSE If possible, for v3, maybe add a little more width to the case to accommodate a slim 92mm fan to help exhaust and introduce more airflow to the case? I'm thinking going from ~180mm to ~195mm? What do you think?
Noted. What do you think about making the case maybe ~1cm thicker (from 115mm to 125mm)?