m-ITX that isn't the smallest - Brainstorming

Shattucknick

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Oct 12, 2016
19
10
Ok so not to long ago I started some design work on a mini-ITX case as I am hoping to make my system more compact. Now I am going to continue the design on here and essentially brainstorm ideas as I try to refine my build. I will not be able to prototype it for at least 2 months so I have some time to figure out everything. Unlike many people on here the goal is not to make it the smallest case but instead to make it the best enthusiast case (to fit my needs of course). When I am done I will asses manufacturing but as of now I am not considering it. I will post my current design shortly but after perusing these forums for a while I have some ideas which will certainly change it.
 

Shattucknick

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Oct 12, 2016
19
10
Edit: Just a note all updates will be posted to this post. They will be added at the bottom in the order I make them.
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So these designs are not super far along yet but I used the AR240 as my inspiration since I love the layout of that case. The dual chambered design should allow me to have a nice controlled airflow. On this current design I kept the ascetics of the AR240 but I plan to change that. I have other designs for the grill in the works which I will post when finished.

The original Idea was to use aluminum angled brackets to hold everything together but after looking around I will be changing to use something more like the modding cubes made by Parvum. Only problem is I am having a hard time finding them in the U.S. so if anyone could help or help me find another solution that would be fine. The outside panels will be made of multiple layers of some type of material (probably acrylic but might do aluminum for the outermost parts).

So as mentioned I am going to be doing multiple chambers. Originally the smaller chamber was suppose to just be the PSU and all the low heat parts so it would have minimal airflow. Above the PSU is to be a rack for 2-3 SSD that would slide out the back. Now for this case I will be downgrading from a full tower which I obviously bought due to the perceived better performance. This performance is caused by more airflow. Most smaller systems do not have the best airflow due to size as even if they have good ventilation they can be hindered by the flow. In this system however I am going to try and optimize the flow to get rid of any hot air as quick as possible.

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So on the subject of flow. Chamber 1's (bigger chamber) flow is going to be straight out the back. The GPU will have to be blower style to achieve this so it will also intake from the side. Other than that there will be fans on the front to provide extra intake and as much mesh as I can fit on the back for exhaust. My design for the front I will try and make as unobtrusive as possible. The top by contrast will have window where the AR240 normally has mesh. To help with my flow the CPU will also have to be watercooled (likely AIO). This means I can try and put the GPU close to the CPU as there will be no wans above helping to reduce my cases thickness (I will provide a model later).

Flow for the backside is much more difficult. The power supply will take in from the side and shoot out the back so I will consider it separate. Most of my SSD and HDD will go in the back as well as cable management. I originally designed the case with the idea of an AIO rad mounted up front but now I would like to consider it on the other side. I will try a design of this later. I am thinking maybe the AIO can bring it in from the side and shoot it down the bottom and the back. This would not be the best flow but I will have to mess around with it to see exactly how I could fit one of those rads. If I get it on the backside I could also then shorten the case at the front.

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All in all conceptually I know what I want but I still need to work on the implementation. If anyone knows where I can get those cubes easily (without costing to much) please let me know or if anyone knows of other solutions. Thanks for listening to my ramblings and please let me know any ideas. Remember I am not going for the smallest I am going for a case that can deliver me the same performance of my full tower (Phanteks Luxe btw) in a small form factor.

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Just an update I have worked on this I spent some time designing all the parts and laying out the inside. I did end up making the chassis bigger so as to be able to fit a 240mm rad up front because I do not want to make a custom loop to accommodate the 160x80 I would have had to use otherwise. It was either that or make the PSU side wider but that ruins the balance of the case. Perhaps this weekend I will upload more pictures but right now there isn't much to see I have simply been figuring out the size and shape of everything.
 
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Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
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May 9, 2015
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I also love the look of the Air 240 but the inefficiency of the internal design... And ofcourse the linked outer volume.

If you want to maximize performance while keeping it SFF without going extreme, a good layout seems to be the "windtunnel": a rectangular (or tubular) shape with fans at the furthest sides (across eachother, one intake, one exhaust) and all heat-generating components inside the "tunnel". If the tunnel is dense enough (large heatsinks) and the fans move enough air along with a good static pressure, you can even leave the heatsink fans off.

I'm curious about this project, keep us posted !
 

Shattucknick

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Oct 12, 2016
19
10
I also love the look of the Air 240 but the inefficiency of the internal design... And ofcourse the linked outer volume.

If you want to maximize performance while keeping it SFF without going extreme, a good layout seems to be the "windtunnel": a rectangular (or tubular) shape with fans at the furthest sides (across eachother, one intake, one exhaust) and all heat-generating components inside the "tunnel". If the tunnel is dense enough (large heatsinks) and the fans move enough air along with a good static pressure, you can even leave the heatsink fans off.

I'm curious about this project, keep us posted !

I did think about that originally. I wanted to do something dual chambered as to have a chamber that is good looking and one that is functional (as with a normal case). To achieve this one would have to likely watercool the GPU and CPU and gave a rad tunnel. Unfortunetly I do not want to go into a custom loop on this build So I am going to stick with AIO. Under the same idea I was planning to have the rad up front in the main chamber. I am modeling all my components now since I know what I will essentially pack into this case and when I am done I am going to test different layouts.
 

Shattucknick

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Oct 12, 2016
19
10
Does anybody know where I can get a model for a 1070 founders? Also I need some sort of relation as to where the IO shield goes in relation to the motherboard where can I find that? Thanks