Laser3D LZ7 CAD Workstation

[Draughtsman]

I am in need of updating & downsizing my main CAD workstation.
Currently system is an i7 4770K housed in a Corsair Carbide Air 540 case.

Case:- Lazer3D LZ7 generally fitted out with black panels & red corner components.
Top Panel will be the new XL fully vented version.
CPU:- Intel i7-8700K
Cooler:- Noctua NH-L12S
Motherboard:- Asrock Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming ITX
Memory:- 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX Series DDR4-3200
Main Boot & CAD Work Drive:- Samsung 960 PRO NVMe SSD, PCIe 3.0 M.2 1TB
Drive for Steam collection & Media:- Seagate 2TB FireCuda 2.5" Solid State Hybrid Drive
Swap Drive for future mobile workstation (Intel Haydes Canyon NUC):- 2TB Samsung 860 EVO M.2 SATA Drive housed in a Sabrent M.2 SSD to 2.5" Aluminium Enclosure (EC-M2SA)
GPU:- Gigabyte GTX 1080 ITX Mini Graphics Card
PSU:- Corsair SF600 80 Plus Gold SFX Power Supply
Case Fan:- Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 14
Custom cables by me.
Thermal Grizzly Conductive Paste to CPU

This system will drive 3 No Monitors:- Main monitor is a 4K 40" Phillips BDM4065UC flanked on either side by Dell 30" 3008WFP

I will document this build over the coming weeks once the snow has disappeared in the UK, allowing for postal delivery of components to arrive!!

Just a thought, I'm considering cutting an M.2 sized rectangular hole in the underside of the main base panel of the case in order to gain access to the NVMe SSD drive which is located on the underside of the motherboard.
I feel this may help with gaining rapid physical access to the drive if needed for possible hardware trouble shooting further down the line, & would also improve cooling of this component.
Does anyone know how easy it is to successfully cut this perspex material or is there a risk of it shattering?

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Do you really need the Fatal1ty version ? ASRock has another Z370 mITX: the Z370M-ITX/ac. It provides dual Ethernet and has its m.2 slot on the front side (no more need for a cutout)

 

[K888D]

Look forward to seeing the progress of this build!

 

[Draughtsman]

Do you really need the Fatal1ty version ? ASRock has another Z370 mITX: the Z370M-ITX/ac. It provides dual Ethernet and has its m.2 slot on the front side (no more need for a cutout)

Thanks for your observation, it's a good suggestion, but I have gone for the Fatal1ty version in order to have the TB3 Thunderbolt port. I am planning on using this system on the "odd occasion" connected to an ASUS ZenScreen MB16A Portable Monitor which connects to the TB3 port in Alt Graphics mode. This monitor can also operate over a normal USB connection, but in my experience of this to date, has not been the best in a 3D CAD environment, as it introduces some marginal lag to the cursor.

 

[Draughtsman]

So this lot is supposed to fit into 7 Litres is it :-

Nearly forgot the part that's going to be doing the most work:-

Still can't get over how small this system is going to be!!!

 

[conzy]

Maybe you have to blend some of those parts to fit them into 7 litres Can't wait to see the finished build!

 

[Draughtsman]

Initial component test build has progressed:-

I'm glad that the Asrock Fatal1ty Z370 MB allows the CPU cooler fins to be aligned with the case fan.

Winows 10 Pro x64 now installed on the Samsung 960 Pro.

I will need to do a minor mod on the fan casing (remove corner section) of the Noctua NH L12S due to the location of the USB 3.1 socket on the motherboard. I'll probably need to trim some plastic from the plug as well to take any possible bending stress from the connection.

It's going to take some time to get all those cables shortened & terminal crimped but I'm sure it will be worth it in the long run. The quality & accuracy of the LZ7 case panels & fittings + corner brackets are spot on, only minor issue i had was with the length of bolts needed for the Lian Li case feet option where way too short but easily remedied buy a trip to the DIY

 

[K888D]

only minor issue i had was with the length of bolts needed for the Lian Li case feet option where way too short but easily remedied buy a trip to the DIY

Overclockers UK are supposed to be sending out a set of longer bolts with each set of Lian-Li feet supplied with the case, I will remind them about it. The bolts included in screw box work ok with the standard Lazer3D feet, but the Lian-Li specific feet are slightly different.

 

[Jonny727272]

You may just want to buy a USB 3.0 header slim cable. More cables, but you wouldn't have to cut up anything.

 

[Draughtsman]

Hi Jonny727272, Thanks for that suggestion, it looks like a possible solution. Once I have done most of the PSU cable management I will see how things stand. One area of concern at the moment is that the Noctua NH L12S encroaches very near to the SSD drive support panel. (its the 4 No cooling pipe pins that are protruding out). I may just leave the drive support panel out & attache any 2.5" drives directly to the front panel with velcro strips, Will have to see.

 

[Draughtsman]

Low profile USB ribbon cable connector arrived this morning as suggested by Jonny727272:-

The plan is to direct the main USB cable (thick pair) underneath the SF600 at the back of the case and connect to the ribbon cable behind the GPU. I still need to sort out the cable management/shortening but too busy with work to find available time at the moment.

 

[Jonny727272]

Happy you were able to get a shorty cable. Hope this helps your build out!

 

[Coin]

Did you ever finish this build?