Prototype Full Custom Liquid Cooling that fits in a Backpack - 13L Tempered Glass

DragonFrames

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Jan 6, 2019
5
3
DragonFrames' two new Cases for full custom Watercooling in 12L/13L

We are very proud to finally be able to present to you both of our projects, the DragonTower12 and the DragonCage13.
Both cases support full custom watercooling for both CPU and GPU with a dedicated pump.
If there are any questions, comments or suggestions reply to the post, we want to hear them!




The special design of the radiator mount allows for very easy filling and draining the loop, just by removing the top panel and exposing the radiator top ports. Since that is the highest point of the loop, it will be ease to remove air out of the loop.
Each test was run for at least 20 Min.
The room temperature was at about 22°C at all time.
Part list of the test setup:
  • DragonTower12
  • i7 8086K (5 GHz @ 1.32V) (AVX -2 Offset)
  • GTX 1080 Ti Arcticstorm Mini @ 2025 MHz
  • 140mm Monsta Radiator
  • DC-LT 2600 Ultra Low Noise Pump
The fan curve was set like this, depending on the water temperature:


Test CPU:


Test GPU:


Test CPU & GPU:


Test Gaming: (Ghost Recon Wildlands, 1440p, MAX, Vsync off)


We have not built the DragonCage13 yet, so unfortunately we can't give you any tests about that case, but we believe, that the cooling performance of the DragonCage13 will be even better for various reasons:
  • Bigger Radiator (240 vs 140)
  • More spacious interior, less obstruction for the air to pass through
  • More vents in the bottom, due to the changed design
  • Inclusion of a reservoir which should equalize the water temperature by a little bit and help with filling the loop
  • Stronger Pump (DDC vs DC-LT)
 
Last edited:
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Boil

SFF Guru
Nov 11, 2015
1,253
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12.6 Liters and custom watercooling...

The DragonFrames Dragontower fits your standard itx mainboard, GPUs up to a length of 220mm, two 2.5" drives and a sfx-l power supply. A 140mm radiator up to a thickness of 90mm keeps your system cool and silent.

We put a Zotac GTX 1080ti arcticstorm mini and an i7 8086k at 5GHz into ours. The Alphacool Nexxos Monsta radiator and the Noctua fans keep everything cool and quiet.



So, 380mm x 145mm x 230mm (H x W x D), not including protrusions...?

Are you running 140mm Noctuas, or the 120mm Sterrox on the Noctua adapter brackets...?

I believe @Wahaha360 had two of the Industrial Noctua 140mm fans on a 280mm radiator in the Mach One prototype, and I want to say I read that a Noctua rep told him that the 120mm Sterrox fans would move more air...?

Man, waiting on the 140mm Sterrox fans, and hoping / praying / wishing for chromax.black.swap versions of both the 120mm & 140mm Sterrox fans...!

If a less robust radiator is selected, is it still in push-pull, and is the chassis shorter...?

Excepting the exposed screw heads, the silver anti-vandal, & the slotted venting (I would prefer perforations), very nice...!

And dust filters for the intake venting, as it appears to be a total negative pressure system...?

You are, of course, going to be compared to the smaller version:

 
Last edited:

Link1712

Chassis Packer
May 29, 2018
17
8
So, 380mm x 145mm x 230mm (H x W x D), not including protrusions...?

Are you running 140mm Noctuas, or the 120mm Sterrox on the Noctua adapter brackets...?

I believe @Wahaha360 had two of the Industrial Noctua 140mm fans on a 280mm radiator in the Mach One prototype, and I want to say I read that a Noctua rep told him that the 120mm Sterrox fans would move more air...?

Man, waiting on the 140mm Sterrox fans, and hoping / praying / wishing for chromax.black.swap versions of both the 120mm & 140mm Sterrox fans...!

If a less robust radiator is selected, is it still in push-pull, and is the chassis shorter...?

Excepting the exposed screw heads, the silver anti-vandal, & the slotted venting (I would prefer perforations), very nice...!

And dust filters for the intake venting, as it appears to be a total negative pressure system...?

You are, of course, going to be compared to the smaller version:


Hi, thanks for your comment!

The overall dimensions without protrusions are 393mm X 213mm X 151mm
We‘re using 1,5mm steel for a stable and solid built. All the parts are powder coated.

We‘re running two Noctua 140mm Chromax fans and yes, can‘t wait for a Black and 140mm version of the new sterrox fans ^^

We currently have only one size in mind, but there is another version in progress, so stay tuned ;)

It is ineed a completely negative pressure system, but as it is, i am using this built for about 6 months now, and there is no visible dust built up. The case is also intended to be placed on the desk and not on the floor. The chimney design also reduces the dust built up, since almost all the dust entering at the bottom will be blown out through the top right away.

Most likely we will be compared to that and other cases, but we had Water cooling in mind as a differentiation to other sff cases and we use standard components unlike the Digitalstorm Spark, which uses a custom Motherboard and a MXM graphics card.
 
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DragonFrames

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Jan 6, 2019
5
3
Okay, so we have finished both designs, and would like to know, what you think about!
The Head Post has been edited accordingly :)
 
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Boil

SFF Guru
Nov 11, 2015
1,253
1,094
I like the DC13 more, because it allows for a full-size GPU...

And I say this with the acknowledgment that I would PREFER the smaller footprint of the DT12, and I am totally behind the idea of only using ITX-sized GPUs (sorry Zotac, you are not welcome to the party with your 212mm middle children), they are hard to find & then finding a full-cover waterblock is another battle...

So the only intake is the venting on the lower sides...? Have you done any thermal testing...?

Thoughts towards an intake fan on the bottom (behind the PSU) in the DC13...?
 

DragonFrames

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Jan 6, 2019
5
3
@Boil I Agree, that ITX sized GPU's are hard to find, especially in the high end market, which this case is made for. I have not yet found a ITX 2080 Ti, and those are out already for 6 months now.

About the thermal performance, we have done tests before, but unfortunately not recorded them, so i will follow up with another post about this today.
Let me tell you already, that the cooling performance is not compromised by only having the vents you can see at the bottom. The surface area of the vents at the bottom is even bigger than the vent at the top. Also the design is intended to bring fresh air over all the components inside, like Ram, VRMs, Chipset and M.2 SSDs. Its like a chimney, and on top of that, the airflow is convection assisted, since hot air rises. The air also isn't really blocked by anything so there is hardly any resistance for the air to pass trough. I am very confident to say, that a fan at the bottom would not yield any thermal performance increase.
To give you numbers, the overclocked GTX 1080 Ti maxed out at 62°C/143°F while running Heaven Benchmark for 1 Hour. (but more on that later)
Besides, that space is used for mounting a 2.5" drive/ssd ;)

That is what i can say about the DT12, since that was the first case we built and currently dont have the funds to built a prototype of the DC13.
Although we believe that the cooling performance of the DragonCage13 will be even better for various reasons:
  • Bigger Radiator (240 vs 140)
  • More spacious interior, less obstruction for the air to pass through
  • More vents in the bottom, due to the changed design
  • Inclusion of a reservoir which should equalize the water temperature by a little bit and help with filling the loop
  • Stronger Pump (DDC vs DC-LT)
 
Last edited:

DragonFrames

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Jan 6, 2019
5
3
As promised, here is a comprehensive report of the thermals:
(Was also added to the main post)
Each test was run for at least 20 Min.
The room temperature was at about 22°C at all time.
Part list of the test setup:
  • DragonTower12
  • i7 8086K (5 GHz @ 1.32V) (AVX -2 Offset)
  • GTX 1080 Ti Arcticstorm Mini @ 2025 MHz
  • 140mm Monsta Radiator
  • DC-LT 2600 Ultra Low Noise Pump
The fan curve was set like this, depending on the water temperature:

Test CPU:

Test GPU:

Test CPU & GPU:

Test Gaming: (Ghost Recon Wildlands, 1440p, MAX, Vsync off)

We have not built the DragonCage13 yet, so unfortunately we can't give you any tests about that case, but we believe, that the cooling performance of the DragonCage13 will be even better for various reasons:
  • Bigger Radiator (240 vs 140)
  • More spacious interior, less obstruction for the air to pass through
  • More vents in the bottom, due to the changed design
  • Inclusion of a reservoir which should equalize the water temperature by a little bit and help with filling the loop
  • Stronger Pump (DDC vs DC-LT)
 

DragonFrames

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Jan 6, 2019
5
3
The Poll is now open and has been added to the head post.
The Detailed renderings of each case have now been added to to the head post.
We are happy about every feedback :)