Now for a little thought experiment (it's actually quite far developed already): After having figured out I need to go down the custom water loop road for an mATX build in the NR200 no matter what, and (re)watching/searching a few other ATX-/mATX-to-ITX mods .. I also watched the MeshATX build videos (#1, #2) for yet another time, I started pondering: Why go for 18 L and 5 kg, if you can have 15 L (14.68 L) and 3.7kg instead?
For recap, the design of the MeshATX has a few disadvantages:
- extra-long riser cable required
- PSU blocking the usage of all the other PCIe ports (which one could solve with another Riser cable, but where to position them next?)
- the still existing issue with the riser cable fusing with the backplate of the GPU
My use case is not the big fat GPU though, a SFF-friendly length would be much more appreciated (anything <= 240 mm).
So, why not place the PSU on the OTHER side, in a classic two-chamber style? And then use a very short riser cable + a custom(ized) bracket to position the GPU at the same position where normally the PSU would sit .. Also, that'd allow us to place a secondary extension card at a different position (using another short riser cbale), or depending on its size, maybe even sitting in the slot itself!
Judging from measurements, it looks like this approach could actually work. And one could still use mATX, as I dont need all that many extension ports either. On the other hand, the MSI Pro Z690-A Wifi looks quite sensible and nice, too.
Also opens up options for adding a separate pump / pump + reservoir vs. the cramped space of the MeshATX original.
Things to ponder about:
a) PSU connection: With the Corsair SF 750, the power socket would sit nearly perfect on the opening for GPU connector, but with any other PSU, we might need to use a short standoff with a power cable extender.
b) Radiator heat vs. PSU: I dont know if its the brightest idea to route the power cables directly side-by-side to the radiator, so maybe putting the PSU on top of the case, with custom brackets etc. might be the better option, and add a 200x200 mm radiator below, eg. the Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper 200mm or maybe even a 180 x 180mm radiator (still more surface area than a standard 240 mm radiator).
