Hutzy HS: Top-End GPU Gaming Case under 5L (formerly HASSIUM)

[Hahutzy]

Formerly HASSIUM - Performance Densely Packed

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Hey guys, some news on Leap Day!


Update #1: New Design for the next Prototype

Gathering the feedback from the initial responses, I noticed 3 main things that stuck out as issues:
1) Limited vent holes on the side, no vent hole on top
2) Power button on the bottom
3) Structural weakness

I decided to spend some time to do a redesign with these things taken into consideration, and I am happy to reveal the result of your input! (Sketchup pics for now, fancy Solidworks renders to follow later)

Few quick notes about the new design:
- It will be 2-tone, with some parts in clear/light gray aluminum, and some parts in black/dark gray aluminum
- Flanges added to structurally weak spots to greatly increase strength
- Power button in the front
- Opened up more vents on each side, and added vents on top

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Update #2: Acrylic middleboard replaced with custom 3D printed middle board

What used to hold the mobo in place was a piece of acrylic and 3 angle brackets. Which made for a very clunky usability, and non-scalable production piece.

I have since designed and 3D printed a plastic middleboard to replace it.

More good news: because it's 3D printed, it doesn't need to be flat.
I can embed nut slots into the board, making all nuts and bolts fasten much tighter onto the board.
I can even create a sunken rail for the PCIE extension cable to fit tightly into!

I have it in my prototype right now, and I have been running my machine to its max heat generation to test the plastic's resilience to the heat generated.

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Update #3: A new challenger appears: The sub-4L case

This is an idea that came about while I was revisiting the design of Hassium, and I worked on it alongside the redesign. The new Hassium design actually borrowed a lot of elements from when I worked on the XS.

The XS is a minimized version of my initial Hassium. And instead of fitting the top-end GPUs, it focuses on meeting VR glasses specifications in as tight of a size as possible.

In the next few days, I will create a new thread detailing what exactly the XS is, what the specs are, etc.

Here's a preview of a super early prototype of XS (on the left):

 

[Hahutzy]

Update History:

Hey guys, some news on Leap Day!


Update #1: New Design for the next Prototype

Gathering the feedback from the initial responses, I noticed 3 main things that stuck out as issues:
1) Limited vent holes on the side, no vent hole on top
2) Power button on the bottom
3) Structural weakness

I decided to spend some time to do a redesign with these things taken into consideration, and I am happy to reveal the result of your input! (Sketchup pics for now, fancy Solidworks renders to follow later)

Few quick notes about the new design:
- It will be 2-tone, with some parts in clear/light gray aluminum, and some parts in black/dark gray aluminum
- Flanges added to structurally weak spots to greatly increase strength
- Power button in the front
- Opened up more vents on each side, and added vents on top

---

Update #2: Acrylic middleboard replaced with custom 3D printed middle board

What used to hold the mobo in place was a piece of acrylic and 3 angle brackets. Which made for a very clunky usability, and non-scalable production piece.

I have since designed and 3D printed a plastic middleboard to replace it.

More good news: because it's 3D printed, it doesn't need to be flat.
I can embed nut slots into the board, making all nuts and bolts fasten much tighter onto the board.
I can even create a sunken rail for the PCIE extension cable to fit tightly into!

I have it in my prototype right now, and I have been running my machine to its max heat generation to test the plastic's resilience to the heat generated.

---

Update #3: A new challenger appears: The sub-4L case

This is an idea that came about while I was revisiting the design of Hassium, and I worked on it alongside the redesign. The new Hassium design actually borrowed a lot of elements from when I worked on the XS.

The XS is a minimized version of my initial Hassium. And instead of fitting the top-end GPUs, it focuses on meeting VR glasses specifications in as tight of a size as possible.

In the next few days, I will create a new thread detailing what exactly the XS is, what the specs are, etc.

Here's a preview of a super early prototype of XS (on the left):

- Have been using my prototype for about a month now as my daily driver. Not a single issue so far. Although I do agree that going forward, I need more vent holes on the side and the top.
- Spent a good part of January/February building a 3D Printer. Using it to test out different structures and layouts.
- Also considering a 4L case for ITX-class cards (R9 Nano).

Started out small with a PCI extender shroud (with orange filament):

Here's a case core fresh off the printbed:

After a little bit of love from a hobby knife:

(I snapped one of the flaps and taped it green. Whoops.)

Switched CPU cooler from Rosewill LP (with poor TIM application) to Noctua L9i

Hi all. I want to present to you a project I've been working on in the past months. A sub-5L case that houses a GTX 980 Ti.

Here's the prototype I currently have (exterior design update coming in prototype v2):

And here is the planned design for prototype v2:

Motivation
Early last year, I built a sff pc with the Jonsbo v3+. It's small, but it was very limiting in the length of GPUs that fit. I started getting into content creation (streaming, video editing etc) and the short 750 Ti left a lot to be desired. I wanted to upgrade to a 980 Ti.

Around this time, I found OCnet, and read about the 500w FlexATX PSU. That thing is tiny compared to a standard ATX power supply. From finding OCnet, I also started looking at different build logs people had going on; I did not know custom cases and scratch builds were a thing. Threads on OCnet quickly led me to [ H ], where I found the NCase M1, and realized that not only do indie pc cases exist, but there's also a strong support network behind peoples' efforts.

And so I set out to put my own spin on an optimal pc case. Few months later, today, I have a functional prototype, with a much clearer vision of where I want to drive this.

Design Criteria
From day 1, I had set myself a list of design criteria to follow:

• ultra compact (<4L, later changed to <5L)
• rectangular shape (so that it can slip into a backpack)
• fits a 10.5" gpu (EVGA 980 Ti)
• minimalistic look (absolutely nothing on the front face)
• no external power brick (because that's cheating the size constraint)
• affordable (because I want it to be scalable in production)

Specification

• material: 1.6mm Aluminum
• dimensions: 273mm x 96mm x 190.5mm [LWH], 4.99L
• cpu: up to 65W cpu tested
• hsf: designed for Noctua L9i or any shorter cooler (like the Rosewill LP I'm using)
• mobo: mITX
• gpu: dual slot, 10.5" (267mm), up to EVGA 980 Ti ACX2.0+ SSC tested
• psu: FlexATX [note: do not use Athena Power!]
• hdd: parallel, vertical 2.5" hdd mount. up to 3x7mm drives (mechanical drives not recommended)
• fan: up to One 80mm*10mm exhaust fan on the bottom is planned

Demo Unit Spec / Performance

• i5-4440S, EVGA ACX 980 Ti
• avg 3Dmark Firestrike: 11700 (the i5 is dragging the 980 Ti down drastically)
• max cpu/gpu temps with no case fan (after 5 consecutive Firestrike runs): 59/84 deg C
• stability: over 40+ runs of 3Dmark Firestrike/Unigine Heaven, no crashes

Intention Moving Forward
Yes, eventually I do want to produce these in a scalable manner. And I believe that at that time, it would be best to include the power supply as the part of the product. Another direction I've thought about is to release them as custom prebuilts.

I learned quite a few things with the first prototype. The biggest takeaway: prototyping a single unit is not cheap. So in the near future, I want to do a small batch run of the prototype v2, either powered by crowdfunding, or convincing some of my friends to let me build them a PC

But before that can happen, I need to make sure every component that goes into the case is scalable. And right now, there are still a few things that aren't. However, I do firmly believe that it is the right time to reveal Hassium to fellow enthusiasts and garner some feedback before I set in stone more design decisions.

For news about Hassium, you can follow this thread in your favorite forum. I will try my best to update them all in sync.

Talk soon,
Hahutzy

 

[|||]

Looks excellent!

I'm curious: would a slim optical drive would be able to fit on top of the PSU?

I know slots can cause the price to go up, but is there sufficient air flow in this case?

 

[Hahutzy]

Thanks!

It doesn't look like I can fit an optical drive on top of the PSU, the cables all come out at the top.

In the upcoming prototype v2, I am going to add more slots to increase air flow on the side panels, and on the bottom panel.

I am reluctant on opening up the top panel (even though I know it's the most optimal way to exhaust hot air), because I want the front and top panels to look as minimalistic as possible.

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

I find it intriguing that you've located the power switch on the bottom of the enclosure - or at least, it looks that way in the GIF.

Is that an aesthetic choice (keep the button hidden) or a functional one (it's the only place the button would fit)?

 

[Hahutzy]

The power button is indeed located on the bottom.

The aesthetic constraint of a clean front and top face meant I can either put the button on the back panel, or the bottom. In the first designs I had, it was on the back.

But then I shrunk the height of the case, and the 16mm vandal button no longer fit in the back. So I had the choice of either:
1) moving the button to the bottom somewhere
2) using a 12mm vandal button on the back

I got a sample of the 12mm button, and the tactile feedback on it was much worse than the 16mm. So I stuck with the 16mm, and moved the button to the bottom. I then had to make sure to put the button as close to the front as possible, because the use case of the button is either:
1) case is standing up, and you lift up the front slightly, reach for the button in the bottom to power up
2) case is on its side, no lifting is needed, but if the bottom side is against the wall, you want to reduce the reaching needed to get to the button

Also, after talking with a few friends, we concluded that there's generally 2 camps of people and associated habits that make the bottom button compromise manageable:
1) those that are on the go, and move around with their machine a lot anyway (since you can put this in your standard 15inch laptop backpack)
2) those that are at home a lot. The computer is rarely shut down overnight. (I am of this camp)

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

I wonder if you think you could eliminate the screw heads on the front face as well, and have a continuous piece of metal bend over, rather than attach a piece with a bend. If you managed to do that I think the overall aesthetic would be improved quite a bit (at least, IMHO). The screws and gap on the top edge would accentuate (and very nicely contrast with) the completely blank front.

Also, the vent on the bottom must be all but non-functional when the case is standing tall Is the intention of it to provide ventilation when the case is resting on the CPU side?

 

[Hahutzy]

The screw heads on the front face (and the 2 on the back) are just a result of me heavily modding/drilling the prototype v1 to help design prototype v2

Here is the design I have for v2 right now:

Preface: There is a ~4.6mm clearance between the bottom of the case and the surface it is resting on when standing upright.

I can't say for sure how much the bottom vents are doing right now, because I did not install a case fan.
However, the GPU and the CPU are both intaking air with their fans from the side, creating positive pressure inside the case. Meaning wherever there's vents, there should air forced to exhaust through them.

The idea was that when I have a 80mm*10mm fan exhaust installed in the bottom, it should be enough airflow to negate the naturally convection flow, and push the accumulated hot air to vent the bottom instead of getting trapped at the top.
Needless to say, this is something that is currently unproven.

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

Ah, thanks for the rendering! Yes, I quite like how that looks.

Preface: There is a ~4.6mm clearance between the bottom of the case and the surface it is resting on when standing upright.

That's just over the thickness of two nickels, which I can promise you makes that vent all but useless in practice. You've also got the side panels walling off any airflow from two of the four sides of the vent as well - meaning, it must flow through either side of the long gap between the case and the surface it is resting on.

Being blunt, you will need to substantially increase that gap to have that vent provide any meaningful utility in the upright position.

The idea was that when I have a 80mm*10mm fan exhaust installed in the bottom, it should be enough airflow to negate the naturally convection flow, and push the accumulated hot air to vent the bottom instead of getting trapped at the top.
Needless to say, this is something that is currently unproven.

Convection is an extraordinarily weak force that the presence of any fan will eliminate, so I wouldn't worry about it. What I would do, though, is test the efficacy of your case when laid on a side, if you intend to support that orientation - that's where I'd imagine that vent being useful without any design changes.

 

[Hahutzy]

The 2 side walls from the panels are propped up by 3mm dome feet. So realistically, there is 3mm clearance along 2 sides, and 4.6mm along the other 2 sides. This by no means takes away from your point though; I agree that there is minimal exhaust space.

In any case, I am hoping that the 80mm fan in the prototype v2 can draw enough air down, and the clearance can move that air away fast enough. Because my primary use scenario is to have this case upright.

If it proves inefficient, I will either have to add vent slots on the top panel after all, or change my focus to laying it down sideways, as you mentioned.

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

You might not need to do much of anything, though. The temps you have in the OP are toasty - that CPU figure in particular isn't so great - but I'd be willing to bet that you can improve them without adding vents, by:

• Improving/adding isolation between the GPU, CPU and PSU.
• Marginally increasing the size of existing vents.
• Adding some height to the bottom.

The efficacy of any of those would have to be tested, but in combination I think you'd be able to maintain safe operating temperatures for your existing hardware at the very least.

I think that, in terms of aesthetics and the overall layout, you have a good thing going, so I'd do what you can to preserve it!

 

[EdZ]

Here is the design I have for v2 right now:

If you're going for a clean front+top look, you could 'flip' the main chassis frame upside down to make the front & top a continuous seamless surface (moving the underside perforations to the side panel). The downside would be the location of the power switch, which would now be on the side panel. This may have clearance issues during removal (depending on how far the switch protrudes into the case, and nearby components), and the inconvenience of needing a second connector to make removing the side panel easier (mobo header -> cable -> wire-to-wire connector -> cable -> button).

 

[iFreilicht]

Yes, love for FlexATX! Thanks for stopping by the thread on OCN I'd say including the PSU is the best option, everything else makes little sense considering the availability of good FlexATX PSUs.

I feel like there is a way to make installation a bit more cleaner. For example, the two pieces V1 currently has could easily be a single sheet that you just slide off the front or back. If that piece also included the front, working in the case would be extremely easy and the whole visible outer shell would be a single piece. The front could be laser-welded to the rest of the shell to save material.

As you said, more vent holes are required, and I feel like you either have to put vents at the top or give the bottom one more space, as it was discussed. Personally, I would just vent the top, it's the easier and cheaper solution, and you wouldn't need any feet anymore, which can be useful when you're on the go. Why did you want to put a fan at the bottom anyway? To make the outside more clean? Or was there just space for it in that location anyway?

Not really feeling the power button on the bottom. It looks good, but I am the sort of person that shuts down their PC every evening completely and puts it into sleep mode by pressing the power button, so having it readily accessible is very important to me.

 

[CC Ricers]

Love the case, simple and practical. Glad to find it here with more discussion than on OCN.

I'm with everyone that says there needs to be more vent holes. Especially on the GPU side. I like the stealth power button myself, though. How are the CPU and GPU temperatures with that case?

Thanks!

It doesn't look like I can fit an optical drive on top of the PSU, the cables all come out at the top.

How about have an option to put the optical drive on the GPU side of the case? This would mean you can only use ITX sized graphics cards with the optical drive installed, but it won't be on the side with the cables, plus it would be easy to make the slots less conspicuous on the top.

 

[Hahutzy]

If you're going for a clean front+top look, you could 'flip' the main chassis frame upside down to make the front & top a continuous seamless surface (moving the underside perforations to the side panel).

I do have another design where the top and front are continuous. I decided against it because I found it essential that the "core" piece include the bottom face so that components can be put together before assembling all the faces.

I feel like there is a way to make installation a bit more cleaner. For example, the two pieces V1 currently has could easily be a single sheet that you just slide off the front or back. If that piece also included the front, working in the case would be extremely easy and the whole visible outer shell would be a single piece. The front could be laser-welded to the rest of the shell to save material.

I thought about this. My stance on it is that a left-right-top-front combined piece would make it unwieldy to put on/ take off.

Not really feeling the power button on the bottom. It looks good, but I am the sort of person that shuts down their PC every evening completely and puts it into sleep mode by pressing the power button, so having it readily accessible is very important to me.

The power button and the amount of vents tend to be the most pressing issues for most people. So I'll have to look into them. Although I'm really having trouble figuring out where I can move the power button without an overhaul to the layout.

I'm with everyone that says there needs to be more vent holes. Especially on the GPU side. I like the stealth power button myself, though. How are the CPU and GPU temperatures with that case?

Temps are high right now, around 80's for both after 20-30minute 3Dmark load. It is something that I am also trying to improve.

How about have an option to put the optical drive on the GPU side of the case? This would mean you can only use ITX sized graphics cards with the optical drive installed, but it won't be on the side with the cables, plus it would be easy to make the slots less conspicuous on the top.

The harddrives below the GPU would still be in the way of installing an optical drive. To be honest, an optical drive option is not of high priority to me currently. It is a dying medium, and USB optical drives are easy to come by when needed.

 

[iFreilicht]

I thought about this. My stance on it is that a left-right-top-front combined piece would make it unwieldy to put on/ take off.

The power button and the amount of vents tend to be the most pressing issues for most people. So I'll have to look into them. Although I'm really having trouble figuring out where I can move the power button without an overhaul to the layout.

Temps are high right now, around 80's for both after 20-30minute 3Dmark load. It is something that I am also trying to improve.

That might certainly be true, but I think it's worth a try, especially if you're going for a clean appearance. You could also argue that such a piece would need less screws to secure, which might be useful for some.

You know what would be really cool? You could design the front panel in such a way that it isn't connected to the rest of the case in one area, the top seems like a suitable candidate, so you can press it in by a few mms at that location. Then have a small button mounted behind that rigidly, so when you push on the top part of the front, that actually works as a button. Doesn't get any cleaner
BTW, that wouldn't work if front, left, right and top were one piece, so maybe that's an argument against that.

I betcha those temps are from the small vents you currently have

 

[Hahutzy]

Then have a small button mounted behind that rigidly, so when you push on the top part of the front, that actually works as a button. Doesn't get any cleaner

That would be slick, but quite complex haha.

Btw I added the case fan to the bottom instead of the top because if you look at the IO shield's length, it exceeds the mITX motherboard by around 6mm on the bottom. Meaning at the minimum, you need a 6mm clearance on the bottom side.

So adding a 10mm fan is either going to add an extra ~4mm clerance on the bottom, or add 10mm clerance on the top side.
Also, when you look at the top, that is where the ribbon cable loops around downwards, and that loop actually blocks a big chunk of the fan if it were directly above it.

 

[iFreilicht]

Ah that's true, totally forgot about that clearance on the I/O Shield.

 

[confusis]

I really do like the design

 

[Hahutzy]

Huge CPU temperature drop after installing the Noctua L9i. Turns out the Rosewill LP was inferior, and I installed it poorly as well.