Log Laser-cut Custom SFF v2

aromachi

Cable-Tie Ninja
Original poster
Dec 18, 2019
150
137
Hello fellow Case Benders and Airflow Optimizers. After the success of my first (prototype) laser-cut acrylic case, I've been brainstorming over a new design for a year now. I think I modeled 5 different layouts in CAD, but I ended going with the same layout as my first case, but with slimmer components and tighter tolerances.

I've slimmed down the fans (from standard width arctic 92mm ---> slim 92x15 thermalrights) and ditched the hotrod stock AMD cooler for a low profile Jonsbo HP400S. I've already tested the new cooler and found it to be absolutely incredible. With a very silent fan curve the silicon didn't even go over 80c during benchmarks. Really blew my expectations out of the water.

And as before, PSU will have no fan, as these lateral fans provide all the exhaust power it needs (PSU casing was replaced with mesh in previous build). I ordered a nice power switch to mount where the 40mm fan would be.

Hosted pics were removed. Pics retained at PCPartpicker---->>>> https://pcpartpicker.com/b/7GfPxr

Case will be 191x105x239mm (4.8L)



Sandwich style, with lateral and vertical exhaust fans which I've tested with great success in my previous build.



As seen in the previous case, this panel will use 6-32 screws on top and then standard fan screws that go right into the 92mm Thermalrights on the bottom. The Zotac GPU I'm using has a bigger fan on the right if you were wondering why the cutout is larger on that side.









As before, lateral fan mount had to be cut on the one side to make room for the GPU IO plate. The GPU riser mount is behind it.





Instead of a dedicated motherboard tray, I went with anchored tabs at each standoff location. One of them extends from the lateral fan mount.



In my previous case I secured the GPU to the back of the motherboard tray via 3 standoffs using holes in the GPU's PCB. This case will have a riser mount, as well as this movable mount at the top of the IO plate.



Only 7.3mm of clearance between MOBO and GPU.





Some free advertising for my favorite SFF site 😁 .. So I actually finished these designs while I'm down here vacationing in Ft. Myers, FL. On our way down we passed this really sweet corvette (see pic). I loved the color scheme so much that I actually ordered my acrylic panels in black and neon green. I hope the translucent neon green isn't too tacky looking. We shall see! Ponoko order was put in today and it'll be just over 2 weeks before it shows up at my door.





 
Last edited:

Arboreal

King of Cable Management
Silver Supporter
Oct 11, 2015
807
806
A well thought out design, that's the first time I've seen indirect cooling of a Flex ATX power supply. I have a sub 5L case and the Flex psu is horribly loud under load.
I did wonder about it could be cooled better, and thought that its case would more ventilation holes added somehow.
Replacing it with mesh as you have suggested makes complete sense.
4x 92mm fans should make a real difference to cooling & noise, my case only has a cpu cooler fan, single 80mm on the GPU and the horrific 40mm in the psu.
I await your build with interest
 
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aromachi

Cable-Tie Ninja
Original poster
Dec 18, 2019
150
137
Case came last week, but really didn't get a chance to build it until this weekend.



Went with smoked grey instead of neon green. The neon green looked almost yellow on the website, so I didn't think it'd look good.



I already put fan filters at all the intakes. Nice to finally get below 5L.



The mirror finish is fancy, but it also means that it's impossible to keep clean. And almost every dust particle in the house seems to be attracted to it. I like the look, but I regret not going for a matte black acrylic, or any other matte color tbh..



MANY things went wrong this time around.. 13 to be exact. One of my mistakes is only viewable at this angle: 1mm bulge on the lower side of this back window. Most of the other problems were internal. A couple problems were caused by having a riser that was both too long and way too inflexible. Let's just skip the list and move on haha.

But the case works, and the PC is super silent. Just had a long gaming session on it tonight at 75hz @ 1440p. Ryzen 5 1600 OC to 3900 max temp was 55.5 C (1920 RPM), 4x exhaust fans stayed around 1400 RPM, GTX 1660TI maxed at 80 C (2100 RPM). Very impressed with temps and noise; seems like a solid design. And I won't need an upgrade for a long time, as every game I play still plays perfect at 1440p. I thought about upgrading the processor, since I can put a 5000 series in it now, but I literally have no reason to.

Next year I'll try designing a steel case. My CAD skills are getting a little better, and I'm learning from my mistakes. Fun stuff!