Concept Nano V1 - <9L, SFX, 126mm CPU space, 263mm GPU

[sp33dlink]

Hey Sff-Freaks,

I am pretty new to the SFF scene with my Node202 build from this summer. But sadly the GPU temps and CPU fan noise weren't that great and thought about a better way to layout the components.
Used it as an excuse to drain my hours in Sketchup and measured with that Box:


By placing the PSU on it's side and raising the GPU (without a riser), the cases footprint can be greatly reduced. But most importantly this allows a much bigger CPU cooler. The GPU, PSU and CPU all get fresh air from outside the case.

• less than 9 litres in volume
• SFX PSU
• 126mm CPU Cooler clearance
• 263mm GPU lenght
• 140-120mm Fan/Radiator possible

Why on earth isn't a case like this out yet?

I'd <3 to hear feedback!

 

[ignsvn]

Silverstone SG08 has similar layout (albeit supporting much bigger ATX PSU as well as standard sized GPUs).

You're on the right track, I guess.

 

[chyll2]

Ncase M1 at 12.6L is not far off. The extra volume is used very efficiently.

 

[DontPeek]

Would tall GPUs be able to fit like the MSI cards?

 

[Arboreal]

That's a nice design, something like that has been done with modding a Silverstone SG05 or SG13 to front mount the psu.
If you're going smaller than those (~11L), you may find that there isn't enough room to tidy your PSU cables or fit any 2.5" drives. Cable space is always a tough one on USFF designs and needs to be considered.
It may have to be an M.2 only setup.

 

[sp33dlink]

Would tall GPUs be able to fit like the MSI cards?

What do you mean by tall?

2 Slot (48mm)
263mm lenght
120mm height

 

[Gautam]

Why on earth isn't a case like this out yet?

It's a very good design, and I've thought about building something similar for myself on several occasions. The reason I don't is that it just doesn't jive with today's hardware requirements. You end up with unnecessarily good thermals for the CPU, with barely good enough thermals for the GPU. ~130mm heatsink clearance is massive overkill, yet standard, 2-slot GPU's tend to be somewhat constrained when compared to longer and fatter ones. I suspect that this is why such designs don't tend to gain much traction in the community.

In addition to modded Silverstones and Raijinteks, K888D also has been working on something almost identical.

The big plus is the simplicity and ease of design/manufacture. No risers needed. The RTX2070 FE is only 230mm, which also introduces the possiblity of going below 8.5L if you so desire.

 

[MarcParis]

Welcome to SFF club.

First point is coming from your node 202 setup. As I also own one node 202 with a capable setup (gtx 1070 gaming X, core i7 4770K) I know it can be tricky to handle heat...but, like most SFF, node 202 is really capable as long as you deep dive in airflow optimization. GPU is really well cooled as long as you put dual 120mm fans below gpu. For cpu cooling, secret is to setup cpu cooler fan in exhaust mode (to remove all hot air).

Regarding your proposal of case, layout is very similar to lz7 from @K888D or sugo series. Versus node 202 you will have better cpu cooling and worse gpu cooling.

To be honest, at your place, I would focus on optimization of your Node 202. i appreciate a lot this 10.5l case as it can accept beefy GPU (like triple slots, strix, gaming X, something i love) and it is really capable.

 

[Tazpr]

See I am in the same mind as you and have been designing a similar case, except smaller and designed to use an RTX 2070 ITX from Gigabyte, 9700K with Be Quiet ShadowRock and a compact PSU solution like a front mounted FLEX ATX PSU or something on its side or an HD Plex?

haven't got that far into it, but I feel like something that allows larger/quieter CPU coolers with a compact high end GPU seems like a no brainer?

I think with the compact PSU you can get it down to just over 7 litres