Enclosure K39 V2 Rear m.2 Question

[n.tesla]

Hi SFF,
First post, so yo ho hello there.
I was hoping anyone could tell me how much clearance there is for rear m.2 SSDs in the K39 V2 with a GPU installed.

I read from one user on reddit that he had done so with no temp issues but I'd like to confirm with others before I order.

Please say what combination of motherboard and m.2 drive you have as well as any after market heatsinks/thermal pads etc.

Thanks so much!

Awesome community here by the way, so much great info and I'm excited to one day share my first SFF build with you all.

 

[n.tesla]

Anyone?

 

[BaK]

Hiya!
Welcome to SFFN!

Here @hellotimmutton, a K39 user talking about some thermal issues:

K39 Build

Terribly unexciting build, but AFAICT there's no other K39 builds here so thought people might find it interesting. The last image contains the tower I've been using the last 3 or 4 years. Still waiting on screws for the SSD and a shorter SATA cable before fully buttoning it up, plus...

smallformfactor.net

Mabe he will chime in and tell us if there is enough room for adding an heatsink to a rear m.2
But as he says in the post above, there will be no airflow at that location.

 

[n.tesla]

Hiya!
Welcome to SFFN!

Here @hellotimmutton, a K39 user talking about some thermal issues:

K39 Build

Terribly unexciting build, but AFAICT there's no other K39 builds here so thought people might find it interesting. The last image contains the tower I've been using the last 3 or 4 years. Still waiting on screws for the SSD and a shorter SATA cable before fully buttoning it up, plus...

smallformfactor.net

Mabe he will chime in and tell us if there is enough room for adding an heatsink to a rear m.2
But as he says in the post above, there will be no airflow at that location.

Thanks a lot for the reply!
I wonder if there's enough room at the top rear or top front of the case to mount a small fan. I guess the m.2 is covered by the pcie riser cable and a small fan could create a bit of a wind tunnel in there.

I'm trying to keep costs down as much as possible so not super keen on paying the RGB 'gamer tax' that comes with the Asus B450i but that front m.2 might cinch it.
I pulled the trigger on a Ryzen 2700 (good deal new on eBay) so it has begun!

 

[BaK]

Wind tunnel sounds good!
Another option would be to transfer the heat to the case itself, by making the m.2 heatsink touching it, either by direct contact or thanks to thermal pads. Some ghetto mod needed I guess...

I am also about to start a new build, the case for it will be a K39 or a Metalfish S3.
The latter is a bit bigger but has room for a top fan, which should help removing some heat from the case.

 

[hellotimmutton]

I never ended up adding a heatsink, given of the lack of airflow it felt a bit pointless. Eventually I'll just buy a mobo with a front mounted m2 slot when/if I update my cpu. I just finished playing some games and the m2 ssd is sitting at a toasty 70 degrees celcius, which is a lot higher than I'd like

Theres no room to mount fans internally, except maybe some tiny ones on the gpu side (which is not the problematic side).

Ive got a 3d printer in the mail, so I will have a go at printing a bracket to mount a larger cpu fan and as well as a front plate with holes, see if that makes a difference, although part of me wants to go all out and print a case like this one but with less pieces

 

[n.tesla]

I never ended up adding a heatsink, given of the lack of airflow it felt a bit pointless. Eventually I'll just buy a mobo with a front mounted m2 slot when/if I update my cpu. I just finished playing some games and the m2 ssd is sitting at a toasty 70 degrees celcius, which is a lot higher than I'd like

Theres no room to mount fans internally, except maybe some tiny ones on the gpu side (which is not the problematic side).

Ive got a 3d printer in the mail, so I will have a go at printing a bracket to mount a larger cpu fan and as well as a front plate with holes, see if that makes a difference, although part of me wants to go all out and print a case like this one but with less pieces

Thanks for getting back to us on this, appreciate it. A couple questions if you wouldn't mind:

1) Is your K39 the V1 or V2?
2) How many mm is the gap between the GPU and the top of the case?
3) Where exactly is the m.2 drive in relation to the motherboard 'backplate'/pcie riser cable. Could you potentially use plate as a heatsink as @BaK sugessted?
4) What size of heatsink do you think could be fitted if at all?

Going by the image of this K39 V2 build: there is a good bit more clearance thoough I guess that's down to the GPU height. Perhaps if you deshroud your GPU, you may create enough extra space to fit mount a small fan up there?

 

[BaK]

I never ended up adding a heatsink, given of the lack of airflow it felt a bit pointless. Eventually I'll just buy a mobo with a front mounted m2 slot when/if I update my cpu. I just finished playing some games and the m2 ssd is sitting at a toasty 70 degrees celcius, which is a lot higher than I'd like

Theres no room to mount fans internally, except maybe some tiny ones on the gpu side (which is not the problematic side).

Ive got a 3d printer in the mail, so I will have a go at printing a bracket to mount a larger cpu fan and as well as a front plate with holes, see if that makes a difference, although part of me wants to go all out and print a case like this one but with less pieces

Yeah, thanks a lot for the feedback on this!
Now you make me feel like waiting for your 3D print files!

About the m.2 temp, while I agree that 70°C is on the high side, I just found these interesting readings:

Effects of Temperature on SSD Endurance on LabVIEW Real-Time Systems

Solid State Drive (SSD) endurance is defined as the amount of data that can be written to a flash-based drive before it becomes unreliable. The temperature the drive is stored at can have extreme effects on the reliability of the drive. This technical document, explains how the endurance of...

www.ni.com

Understanding Life Expectancy of Flash Storage for LabVIEW Real-Time Systems

This document discusses how several factors impact the Drive Endurance formula when used to calculate how much data can be written to a drive before it becomes unreliable. Selecting the right flash-based storage device for your application often demands a tradeoff between cost, capacity, and...

www.ni.com

Flash data retention is dependent on the ability to determine the level of charge stored in each flash cell. Over time this charge deteriorates and must be refreshed else the data stored in the flash cell will be lost. When the flash is powered, cells are periodically refreshed to “top off” and restore lost charge. However when the flash is not powered (e.g. in storage) cells are not refreshed and charge degrades with time. The rate of charge loss (detrapping) is related to the storage temperature, accelerated with higher temperatures, and slowing with lower.

So if I get it right, our m.2s should stay healthy as long as they are not kept in a hot (>40°C) environment while powered off.

 

[n.tesla]

Well, I just managed to pick up an Asus B450-i refurbished on eBay for £115 so I guess this issue won't be a problem for me until I want to fit a 2nd m.2 drive. Still curious for those answers if/when you get around to it though. K39 V2 and Enhance 7660B ordered from Taobao, my next post will likely be the build, excited!

 

[hellotimmutton]

Thanks for getting back to us on this, appreciate it. A couple questions if you wouldn't mind:

1) Is your K39 the V1 or V2?
2) How many mm is the gap between the GPU and the top of the case?
3) Where exactly is the m.2 drive in relation to the motherboard 'backplate'/pcie riser cable. Could you potentially use plate as a heatsink as @BaK sugessted?
4) What size of heatsink do you think could be fitted if at all?

Going by the image of this K39 V2 build: there is a good bit more clearance thoough I guess that's down to the GPU height. Perhaps if you deshroud your GPU, you may create enough extra space to fit mount a small fan up there?

1) I wasn't aware of there being a v2, so I assume its a v1 from before there was multiple versions. Theres some photos on my thread if theyre visually distinct
2) Some quick measurements suggest you can fit fans that are <=30mm wide and <=20mm deep on the gpu side. No idea if any fans of that size exist, or how much value theyd add since its the cpu/mobo side thats the problem
3) pcie riser starts at the top of the case and then loops over the top of the motherboard tray, so wont get in the way (still not sure whether I should have done it that way or run the riser cable under the mobo and the loop it under the tray). If you could get a heatsink that was exactly the right height that could work, not sure what temp the backplate is normally but would probably be an improvement
4) I cant answer that without completely pulling my computer apart sorry

For the record, I'm still very happy with this case as-is and would definitely buy it again, but that doesnt stop me from wanting to make it even better. Theres been some advancements in the flex psu space that I'd probably look into if I were to do it again now (its not loud per se, but could be quieter, and I have no idea what the efficiency is)

 

[n.tesla]

@hellotimmutton Thanks for taking the time out to answer my questions. Looks like I'll have to take the heatsink off of the front m.2 on the Asus B450-I in order to fit the Alpenfohn Black Ridge and 120mm fan. VLP RAM on the cards too, the hunt continues...

 

[BaK]

my next post will likely be the build, excited!

Good hunt, will keep an eye for your build log!

 

[Dem0nflare]

Hi SFF,
First post, so yo ho hello there.
I was hoping anyone could tell me how much clearance there is for rear m.2 SSDs in the K39 V2 with a GPU installed.

I believe the V2 has strait air holes and the V1 had honeycomb, if people needed to tell. it's defintely a little more then a centimetre between the mobo and GPU do to the mobo stands and the gpu riser stand. That being said it really depends how flexible your riser cable is, mine is not solid so air can get thrue the gaps and the M.2 is right behind the GPU on the bottom of the mobo. runs at like 45c to 65c and only gets hot because the gpu. I also put a 120mm fan on the side panel though because the gpu would get too hot and heat soak then entire case. I transfers my pc from a Geek A31 that had fans at the top, so the K39 gets hotter not having any fans. It will run like 10c degrees higher stock and 5c higher on the load temp with out and still a few higher with fan.

 

[BaK]

I believe the V2 has strait air holes and the V1 had honeycomb, if people needed to tell. it's defintely a little more then a centimetre between the mobo and GPU do to the mobo stands and the gpu riser stand. That being said it really depends how flexible your riser cable is, mine is not solid so air can get thrue the gaps and the M.2 is right behind the GPU on the bottom of the mobo. runs at like 45c to 65c and only gets hot because the gpu. I also put a 120mm fan on the side panel though because the gpu would get too hot and heat soak then entire case. I transfers my pc from a Geek A31 that had fans at the top, so the K39 gets hotter not having any fans. It will run like 10c degrees higher stock and 5c higher on the load temp with out and still a few higher with fan.

Very informative, thank you!
This makes me reconsider the Metalfish S3 with its top fan, its only drawback being the CPU cooler limited to 40mm.

 

[n.tesla]

I believe the V2 has strait air holes and the V1 had honeycomb, if people needed to tell. it's defintely a little more then a centimetre between the mobo and GPU do to the mobo stands and the gpu riser stand. That being said it really depends how flexible your riser cable is, mine is not solid so air can get thrue the gaps and the M.2 is right behind the GPU on the bottom of the mobo. runs at like 45c to 65c and only gets hot because the gpu. I also put a 120mm fan on the side panel though because the gpu would get too hot and heat soak then entire case. I transfers my pc from a Geek A31 that had fans at the top, so the K39 gets hotter not having any fans. It will run like 10c degrees higher stock and 5c higher on the load temp with out and still a few higher with fan.

Thanks for that!
I only have a 1050ti to cool for now (saving up for a 2070 mini) which I don't envision being an issue. I'll likely mod the 2070 with an aftermarket heatsink and/or fans to better handle the extra heat. Optimum Tech recently made a good video on this which is worth a watch. What all are you running in your K39? How are your temps?

 

[Dem0nflare]

Very informative, thank you!
This makes me reconsider the Metalfish S3 with its top fan, its only drawback being the CPU cooler limited to 40mm.

I got the metalfish s3 too and top bar that holds the side panel broke off in the first 5 minutes. It works with just the two bottom screws, but if your gentle when taking the side panel off it might not happen to you. The top fan is also a 80mm fan, i'v seen some people fit other fans in there, but it you might not be able to screw it in. The feet on the metal fish where uneven so it rocked back and forth from vibration, but a washer under one fixed that. The metal is noticeably thicker then the K39 giving it some weight, but because it all separate pieces spot welded its might not handle being dropped in a backpack. Where the K39 is mainly one piece of metal folded so your only issue is dents. Metalfish S3 will be cooler, comes with a nicer Riser cable, has front usb/power, and easier GPU mounting so that's why i originally got it. I take this pc with me alot though so i felt safer with the K39 and its a tad smaller.

 

[ekafithra]

Hello, fellow k39 user. I've similar builds, and been trying cram as many fans as I could. For nvme heatsink, I'm afraid I have to tell u that u can't add nvme heatsink for rear slot, there's few mm panel that blocked any heatsink. For fans, I put 2 40x10mm fans above gpu, another two in the front panel (cut some vent holes for it), and ended up install 2 80mm fans on top of the case. Temp is okeish, never reach 70C.

 

[ekafithra]

Hello, fellow k39 user. I've similar builds, and been trying cram as many fans as I could. For nvme heatsink, I'm afraid I have to tell u that u can't add nvme heatsink for rear slot, there's few mm panel that blocked any heatsink. For fans, I put 2 40x10mm fans above gpu, another two in the front panel (cut some vent holes for it), and ended up install 2 80mm fans on top of the case. Temp is okeish, never reach 70C.

Sorry, no phot with top fan yet.
In the end if u gonna put another fan on top of it, maybe better buy metalfish s3.

 

[BaK]

Hello, fellow k39 user. I've similar builds, and been trying cram as many fans as I could. For nvme heatsink, I'm afraid I have to tell u that u can't add nvme heatsink for rear slot, there's few mm panel that blocked any heatsink. For fans, I put 2 40x10mm fans above gpu, another two in the front panel (cut some vent holes for it), and ended up install 2 80mm fans on top of the case. Temp is okeish, never reach 70C.

Thanks for the nvme heatsink info!
I guess you had thermal issues thus all the fans addition, what hardware parts are you running?

 

[ekafithra]

Thanks for the nvme heatsink info!
I guess you had thermal issues thus all the fans addition, what hardware parts are you running?

Not really, just read from several forum about temp issue... Kinda prevention measure. What worries me still is that ryzen 3700x still quite warm. Maybe I need to reapply thermal paste later.