A quick thermal test. Played Doom for a few matches totaling 15 min each run.
Panels Off
Panels On
Panels Off
Panels On
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Completed MK-1 (4.1L 3D Printed SFF) Now Available!
- Thread starter Zackmd1
- Start date
Your zotac 1060 gets so much hotter than my aero itx 1060. Idk if it's because you're running 1440p but even with your panels off you're still about 15 degrees hotter than mine ever gets. But I think the zotacs heatsink itself is to blame for that. I'll have to do some thermal testing once I get my mod mini to know for sure. Similar profile so temps should be close to the same at least. Mines in a pretty open environment currently so that may be the culprit
Yeah the Zotac heatsink and fan are terrible.... Sounds like a jet engine too... I want to swap out the cooler for an EVGA 960 SC cooler since the board layout is nearly identical (and since 1060s are hard to come by at MSRP right now) but I have been unable to find one...
I think I am going to add "slots" on all 4 corners of the side panels. This shouldn't increase the cost of laser cutting to much and should help trapped hot air escape from the top of the case.
It could probably help with aesthetics too, it looks really blank since all the panels are basically a solid color and solid panel itd give it something to break everything up
Personally speaking, because I think this case looks 100 times better in horizontal orientation, You could put like a name logo that serves as a "vent" so to speak to the gpu side if it was meant for horizontal orientation
edit: maybe something like this, (this was done in like 2 seconds so bare with me also could be done with practically any font the batman forever font is probably a bit untasteful for most so. lol
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Another thing to consider is basically having some kind of texturing on the panels, matte is fine for some, but others might prefer sanded, really anything to break up the monotony of the panel
I think the biggest problem with that is the choice in material thickness from ponoko. They don't carry their specially acrylics in 4.5mm I mean I guess you could do a different material but you're at the risk of price.
You are correct... I would love to offer matte color options but Ponoko does not offer matte colors in 4.5mm acrylic. 3mm acrylic is just not stiff enough to make all of the panels from. Side panels can however be made from 3mm acrylic and I will have separate patterns for those that wish to have either clear or matte side panels. This will also allow the panels to sit flush with the edges.
So I conducted a little experiment today to see if my theory was correct about hot air getting trapped in the top of the case.... I removed the top panel from the case and ran the same test as before (Doom 1440p) with same ambient temp... I think it is safe to say I will be adding vents to the top panel.
You should look into doing some threaded Inserts for your holes as well. Would give the case some much needed support in the long run and longetivity
The problem with threaded inserts is that It would require assembly before shipping. I want to stay away from batch orders so I am trying to get everything designed in such a way that it can be shipped directly from shapeways/ponoko to the buyer. I have not used threaded inserts for both case prototypes and have not had an issue with stripped holes or loose screws as of yet.
I'm not saying for you to do them. I'm talking as maybe an option for people that may usually an easy diyers task soldering iron and insert and done
Just managed to fit a Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7mm thick drive into the case. My cutout was just barely to small. The final revision will have a larger cutout to make the install easier.
Only 7mm thick drives will be supported as 9.5mm thick drives are to thick to fit between the panel and motherboard.
Only 7mm thick drives will be supported as 9.5mm thick drives are to thick to fit between the panel and motherboard.
Hi!
Interesting project, looking for something like that.
There are some questions i have.
What height of cooler you have now? I see noctua fan, but not clearly understand what heatsink you use.
Zalman CNPS2X had the same temperature as your actual heatesink+noctua or it was worse?
Interesting project, looking for something like that.
There are some questions i have.
What height of cooler you have now? I see noctua fan, but not clearly understand what heatsink you use.
Zalman CNPS2X had the same temperature as your actual heatesink+noctua or it was worse?
The height of my cooler right now is about 37mm. The cooler consists of a noctua fan over the AMD Wraith stealth heatsink. I did this because of the lack of available AM4 Low profile coolers and because the zalman cooler broke before use. The cooler is preforming well for such an easy mod as you can see in the posts above.
Using my Drill Press I added in some vents to the top panel. Results are very pleasing. GPU temp is now far below what the non vented panel test showed. CPU temp doesn't seem to be much lower but I did notice a rather large temp spike just as I was closing out of Doom. Max temperature before the spike was 57C.
Well I have been using the case for the past few days for heavy gaming sessions and synthetic load tests and I am happy to report that temperatures are great! The top vents significantly decreased the GPU temperatures and made a noticeable difference to the CPU temps. Removing other panels did not provide a noticeable difference in temperatures so vents will only be added to the top panel at this time.
The 3D printed parts have also been updated to include extra material around screw locations. This will allow for inserts for those that wish to add them.
Now comes the verification process for the updated files through both ponoko and shapeways. Once the new files have been verified I will be updating the OP with links to purchase the parts from ponoko and shapeways as well as information on the hardware (screws) required for the case.
The 3D printed parts have also been updated to include extra material around screw locations. This will allow for inserts for those that wish to add them.
Now comes the verification process for the updated files through both ponoko and shapeways. Once the new files have been verified I will be updating the OP with links to purchase the parts from ponoko and shapeways as well as information on the hardware (screws) required for the case.
You should counter sink the screws. Would look much neater
I'd like to see that, but I also like the slightly industrial aesthetic of the screws as they are now.
While it would look better, that would require extra processing after laser cutting. I am attempting to keep everything as simple as possible so all of the components can be available vs requiring batch orders and limited availability.
So the plan for this case would also be modularity. There will be "kits" on shapeways and ponoko that will be all of the patterns and components needed to build MK-1 but there will also be each component separately so you can choose different color options and such. You could also choose to only purchase the 3D printed components and create your own panels for whatever size case you would like.
I do also plan to create an MATX version of MK-1 in the 8-10L range. That way you can choose either to have a larger motherboard with more m.2 slots and a full size graphics card or you can keep it mini itx and use the extra space for watercooling.
I'm glad you decided to add more material for inserts makes this case a well rounded performer in my eyes also gives people the chance that if they do need up stripping threads to make new ones with insertsWell I have been using the case for the past few days for heavy gaming sessions and synthetic load tests and I am happy to report that temperatures are great! The top vents significantly decreased the GPU temperatures and made a noticeable difference to the CPU temps. Removing other panels did not provide a noticeable difference in temperatures so vents will only be added to the top panel at this time.
The 3D printed parts have also been updated to include extra material around screw locations. This will allow for inserts for those that wish to add them.
Now comes the verification process for the updated files through both ponoko and shapeways. Once the new files have been verified I will be updating the OP with links to purchase the parts from ponoko and shapeways as well as information on the hardware (screws) required for the case.
