Okay, it's been a while but I'm starting to chip away at this project again!
I have decided that instead of trying to do a good job by hand on some of the most visible and identifying parts of the case, it's probably best to have them cut or printed to my specification. Currently, I'm looking at trying to get a good "pattern" for Ponoko using cardboard cutouts (because they're a lot cheaper than acrylic) and then work my way from there.
But before I get too far ahead of myself, here's where I am in terms of computer hardware and build direction:
- Seeing how Ryzen has panned out has given me some confidence in (and enthusiasm for) the platform, but a lot of things I would like to do make using a CPU with an iGPU make a lot more sense. (See caveat at the bottom.)
- The Galax 1070 fits excellently into this case and into the S4 Mini. I'm excited for the card for its specifications, but I'm having some grievances about its I/O, the two DV-I ports feel kind of useless and I would really appreciate more DisplayPort ports. I want to drive 3 monitors, and DV-I is just a crummy standard in this day-and-age. @Broxin's review of the MSI 1070 gives me a lot of buyer's remorse, since it's got more suitable I/O and it's at least better than most other small 1070s. (but wasn't tested alongside the Galax!)
- I've pretty much given up on trying to have an internal power brick. I went ahead and ordered a G-Unique PSU from @guryhwa, which is going to be a 400W DC-ATX power supply, a modded Dell brick @400W, and all the cables I'll need for about $140 after shipping. The value compared to pretty much any other PSU I've looked at is insane on paper. I expect the units to be great, but won't be able to confirm that until I have my hands on them in about two weeks. (And can throw my system together...)
All that said, let's get back to the custom top panel!
Ponoko is a service that does 2D 'printing', etching, and cutting on materials. The current (tentative) plan is to cut my "Io" logo into a piece of translucent acrylic from them, then etch out most of the area to create a little bit of room for extra clearance between whatever cooler I end up using. Then, I'd cut the MC600's top panel to match up to the Ponoko top's non-etched surface and affix them together. This way, my Ponoko top would match up to the MC600's chassis just like the original top did, and it'd also screw in the same way. Doing a 'custom top' like this also allows me to extend the length of the top to match up with a custom front panel like I was originally thinking, if I go that route. The G-Unique PSU eliminates my original need for cavities, but the Galax 1070 does exhaust out its 'back' primarily so I'll probably create a perforated front panel at the very least.
Basically, I'm about to start trying to get a template for my top panel that matches up well with the CPU cooler area of my motherboard and attempt to get the scale about right on that. I'll probably need a few iterations, which will allow me to play around with the design of the "I" that will go over my GPU area. Speaking of that "I", at this point I'm considering just leaving the GPU in it's normal down-facing state and creating a large, appropriately-sized cutout for it to intake there. It'll give me more freedom with the design of the I's lettering on the top of the case, and I can just use some rubber feet to make sure the case has clearance for intake.
Do you have any alternative suggestions for my custom top panel? Ponoko seems easy to learn and I'm not sure figuring out how to 3D-print or machine a precise custom top panel will be worth the trouble. Being able to (theoretically) fix the Ponoko top to the case's original panel more or less guarantees compatibility without needing to probably manufacture several (expensive) prototypes.
Caveat: I'm pretty interested in using Linux at the top level of my system. I want to be able to game and do some casual computing in Windows (10), and the simple solution to that is to 'just use virtualization with GPU passthrough', but unfortunately consumer cards don't support being shared between operating systems/users. (Which, is kind of as simple as manufacturers just deciding not to let consumers do it, but it is a little more complicated than that.) If I had an iGPU, I could simply run my Linux Host and one (or two!) monitors off of that and always leave my GPU idle and ready to hand over to a Virtual Machine. Unfortunately, Ryzen doesn't have integrated GPUs, and the APUs that will have integrated graphics chips will be 4-core models if I understand correctly. Ultimately, with the current landscape (and announced parts, to my knowledge), it makes the most sense for me to use an Intel system, whether it's some weird socket 2011 v3 ITX system or just sticking with my 4790K or going to a more modern consumer-grade chip.
Caveat Help: So, this is a little higher-level than I'm accustomed to...
- Are there any GPUs that would fit into a Logic Supply MC600 that support sharing between multiple operating systems/hosts/users simultaneously? I can add some amount of length allowance to the case but at a certain point it defeats the purpose of building in such a small case to begin with.
- Alternatively, are there any single-slot cards that will fit into the Logic supply MC600 that have a similar level of performance to a GTX 980 (my card prior to this system)? The Galax 1070 is obviously a lot longer, if I'm measuring correctly it would add over 2" of length to the case. It ironically has the same amount of useful I/O as my dual-slot Mini. If there is, I could get a motherboard that supports PCI bifurcation and just throw a cheap (passive?) industrial card at Linux, leaving the more powerful card to handle my gaming.
- Are there any ~6+ core (12+ thread, preferably) CPUs that are comparable to my 4790K and have ITX motherboards? Do they support M.2 drives? If so, do they have CPU or motherboard-based graphics?