Concept Necere's concept/ideation thread

[Necere]

I like that a lot - would imagine there should be more open holes at the bottom of the vented area too so more air enters there, or a way to do that internally to keep the sleek look?

Well, the CPU and GPU aren't meant to be passively cooled like in the Corsair One, so modulating airflow through vent size isn't really relevant here. Their coolers will have fans as normal, and spin up as needed.

wider would also mean a larger than 140mm fan <could> be used, and potentially additional radiator space space.

Fans over 140mm don't tend to be very standardized, with a couple of odd frame sizes like 140x150-160mm from Noctua and Thermalright. The next most common size is 180mm, which is too big for this design.

Looking at it, thinking about cables runs...

I would say 220mm for a 4+4 EPS, 120mm each for a pair of 6+2 PCIs & the worlds shortest 24-pin...

Yeah, cable management would be a challenge. The 24 pin especially.

 

[Necere]

I like it! Love the contrast between the bottom (black) and the top (silver). def a bold design! (also reminds me of the first iPhone lol)

The only thing that I'm not a fan of is the front I/O - Is it possible to integrate it better with the outer shell (see pic below)? Also, I'd position it in another place but as far as I can see there's no room anywhere.

If it's a one-piece wraparound shell like in the render, then no. The shell would have to slide up to come off, and the I/O can't slide with it. So it has to be separate, or else the shell needs to be split into front and side panels.

I did try the I/O on top (facing up), but that seems pretty inconvenient if this is going to be sitting on a desk. As you correctly observe, where it is now is about the only place there's room on the front.

Besides having all cables on the bottom rear what does set it apart from the DSE Breathe?

Different airflow. The Breathe is ventilated on all sides for passive exhaust. This is designed similarly to it in the sense that the components (CPU/GPU/PSU) draw air in through the sides, but instead of exhausting out the sides it's pulled up and out the top by the fan. The advantages are you get less air recycling, and potentially better cooling to areas that don't have their own fans (e.g., back of motherboard and GPU). I'd also want to integrate dust filters on the sides, and the additional fan should help to overcome some of that extra restriction.

Aside from that, this design is bigger, supports larger CPU coolers, and an ODD (if you're into that).

One huge advantage the Breathe has: it's a real product that's finished and available to buy (or will be soon)

 

[Necere]

How difficult would it be to mimic the way air flows in the Corsair One, where a single 140 top exhaust fan pulls air only from the sides through the slim radiators? Does that require good sealing from everywhere in the case (bottom, front, back, gaps) to prevent passive intake, to force airflow through the side radiators (or heatsink)?

I don't think it's practical to try to mimic the One. The AIOs it uses are customized with short tubing and swivel barbs on the rads so everything exactly fits. It would be very difficult to implement the same setup using off the shelf AIOs.

Also worth noting the Corsair One is 26mm wider than this design to fit those rads (though not as tall).

 

[Necere]

I really dig that. I think it does a lot of things well.
Questions, though:
Still 130-135 for the cooler?

It's a bit wider than the M1, to allow for taller CPU coolers and better tall GPU compatibility and airflow. Target is 145mm for the CPU cooler, which opens up a few options between the 92mm fan coolers (<130mm tall) and the full tower 120-140mm fan coolers (>160mm). The Thermalright True Spirit 120 and Cryorig H7, for example, both of which are <=145mm and use 120mm fans.

Is the basement actually a separate chamber or just "cover-up" from the side panel?

Not fully separate, but I thought about a ventilated plate to section it off.

Does the render already take into effect 2 front 25mm case fans?

Yes.

 

[DontPeek]

One thing I've thought about with vertical cases is that you could really reduce the height if you used a thunderbolt 3 dock. Too bad there are so few it's boards that support thunderbolt 3.

 

[Boil]

One thing I've thought about with vertical cases is that you could really reduce the height if you used a thunderbolt 3 dock. Too bad there are so few it's boards that support thunderbolt 3.

Yes, you could make a smaller box, but there will still be that second box on your desk for the eGPU, so you are trading vertical real estate for more footprint on the desk...

 

[DontPeek]

Yes, you could make a smaller box, but there will still be that second box on your desk for the eGPU, so you are trading vertical real estate for more footprint on the desk...

This is true. It's the same argument as internal vs external psu. You can mount the dock somewhere inconspicuous but the fact remains you're still adding volume somewhere. I still prefer it though. My TV has one cable that comes out of the back and leads to a small box that contains all the ports. It makes cable management really nice. Not to mention on a PC if you want to take it somewhere you just have to unplug one cable+power instead of however many you usually would. Probably an expensive and unnecessary solution for most people though.

 

[nox]

I don't think it's practical to try to mimic the One. The AIOs it uses are customized with short tubing and swivel barbs on the rads so everything exactly fits. It would be very difficult to implement the same setup using off the shelf AIOs.

So not impossible... excellent This is why we have you!

 

[Nanook]

I don't think it's practical to try to mimic the One. The AIOs it uses are customized with short tubing and swivel barbs on the rads so everything exactly fits. It would be very difficult to implement the same setup using off the shelf AIOs.

Also worth noting the Corsair One is 26mm wider than this design to fit those rads (though not as tall).

So not impossible... excellent This is why we have you!

But that’s where custom loop comes in.

 

[nox]

so how many responses do you need before the tower goes into production?

 

[Necere]

so how many responses do you need before the tower goes into production?

I'm thinking about it. Biggest con of the design are the down-facing ports, making them harder to access. It does make for a cleaner look than having the cables come out the top and hang down the back, though.

 

[Necere]

Widened it by 10mm so it can fit 2.5 slot GPUs and a 70mm CPU cooler. A few more renders:

I have to admit it's got some sex appeal. Sleek, modern, and compact. Doesn't look like a typical PC, yet can still pack the punch of a full gaming rig. I could see it appealing to some people.

 

[ondert]

you know, this looks sick. definitely this will have some customers. it might be better if you change one of the USB ports to usb type-c, and also combo headphone jack would be appreciated.

 

[Metroversal]

@Necere aside from the I/O that draws too much attention (my humble opinion), it looks really GREAT!

Do you think it is reasonable to have a single piece outer shell? I mean, it looks expensive to me. Correct me if I'm wrong but the only way to achieve that is via extrusion.

 

[Nanook]

Widened it by 10mm so it can fit 2.5 slot GPUs and a 70mm CPU cooler. A few more renders:

I have to admit it's got some sex appeal. Sleek, modern, and compact. Doesn't look like a typical PC, yet can still pack the punch of a full gaming rig. I could see it appealing to some people.

Love this. Would like to know what is the piece part strategy for this enclosure.

 

[Necere]

you know, this looks sick. definitely this will have some customers. it might be better if you change one of the USB ports to usb type-c, and also combo headphone jack would be appreciated.

I've looked into combining the mic and headphone into a single TRRS jack before, but it's not clear to me whether all the functionality can be preserved. The HD audio header has nine pins, while TRRS only has four conductors. It's something I need to do more research on. Given the limited space for front I/O, though, it's probably the only way front audio could be supported.

Another possibility is to have some of the ports on the back, whether just USB or audio as well. This would also offset some of the inconvenience of the bottom-facing I/O.

@Necere aside from the I/O that draws too much attention (my humble opinion), it looks really GREAT!

It could go on the back or top instead, but I'm not sure what I could do to minimize its appearance on the front (aside splitting up the panels like I mentioned). The current look reminds me a little of the Samsung S9 Plus rear camera:

Do you think it is reasonable to have a single piece outer shell? I mean, it looks expensive to me. Correct me if I'm wrong but the only way to achieve that is via extrusion.

An extrusion would be pretty expensive, mostly for all the machined holes that are required.

Rather, what I had in mind is not a single-piece shell, but one that's split at the back:

This probably still needs special tooling to make the interior bends, but can otherwise be made from aluminum sheet.

 

[nox]

Alternatively the usb ports etc, could go in the 'base' section?

might make assembly a little easier too.

I think the front aluminium panel needs 'something' though. Otherwise it might start looking a bit plain.

 

[Boil]

Widened it by 10mm so it can fit 2.5 slot GPUs and a 70mm CPU cooler. A few more renders:

I have to admit it's got some sex appeal. Sleek, modern, and compact. Doesn't look like a typical PC, yet can still pack the punch of a full gaming rig. I could see it appealing to some people.

@Necere

Very nice...! I am glad you widened it a bit, now some proper CPU cooling & a fat heatsink GPU can fit...!

Front I/O - could move it to the base unit, or could move it to the top panel, in place of the ODD slot...

Do we really need an ODD, or is it just for that Mac G4 Cube feel...?

Speaking of Mac, might we see a sandblasted finish for this; that would be so sexy, silver main panels & black top plate & base section...

Now I am really torn, CI MachOne for watercooled build; or NCASE NTBD (Name To Be Determined) for aircooled build...?!?

I would lean heavy towards this NCASE tower, just for the simplicity of it (and the fact that aircooling saves me about 800 bucks in watercooling gear)...

Please, Kind Sir, put this into production...!

 

[Metroversal]

It could go on the back or top instead, but I'm not sure what I could do to minimize its appearance on the front (aside splitting up the panels like I mentioned). The current look reminds me a little of the Samsung S9 Plus rear camera:

Yea seems like there aren't many options. With the current design, you have two elements of contrast (the I/O cutout and the base section), I'm not sure if this is the best approach such project. Removing either one of these elements will definitely improve the overall design. Generally, it's better if there's only one thing that draws attention.

Any plan on implementing some of the work that you did in the past? People seem to love what then became the Mach One. Personally, I'm a big fan of what you did with the venting holes.

It's just a cheap Photoshop edit - Ignore the fact that it's missing the "base"

 

[Necere]

@Necere

Very nice...! I am glad you widened it a bit, now some proper CPU cooling & a fat heatsink GPU can fit...!

Front I/O - could move it to the base unit, or could move it to the top panel, in place of the ODD slot...

Do we really need an ODD, or is it just for that Mac G4 Cube feel...?

Speaking of Mac, might we see a sandblasted finish for this; that would be so sexy, silver main panels & black top plate & base section...

Moving the I/O to the base is probably not going to work, since the ports take up ~30mm internally and they'd interfere with the motherboard I/O.

Optical drive isn't needed, of course, but there is a surprising (to me at least) number of people that still use them. I also think the sort of users this will appeal to is more likely to be in the ODD-using group; I could see this as a living room media PC, for example.

Sandblasted is a bit expensive compared to brushed, but it could be an option. At least there are fewer panels here than on the M1, so perhaps the cost might be a little lower than it was when we looked into it for that.

@Necere Now I am really torn, CI MachOne for watercooled build; or NCASE NTBD (Name To Be Determined) for aircooled build...?!?

I would lean heavy towards this NCASE tower, just for the simplicity of it (and the fact that aircooling saves me about 800 bucks in watercooling gear)...

Please, Kind Sir, put this into production...!

Well, this is just a concept right now, and I think you know how I am about dropping projects. Usually it's because I can't resolve things the way I want to once I get into the weeds of the design work, or I reconsider some fundamental aspect based on new data or market shifts. Consider it to be just a concept exercise for right now, and not anything close to being released. However, I will of course take comments and criticism, as that will help me make a decision. Any comments about what you like or dislike are good, and help me to gauge interest.

Bottom line though: don't wait for this over another case if that'll meet your needs. W360 has spent the past several months getting the MachOne to a near-production ready state, so if that does what you need and appeals to you, by all means get that when it's out. It's also worth noting that you can build a perfectly capable air-cooled rig in it -- compatibility is similar to the M1 in terms of CPU cooler height, with potentially better airflow for open cooler GPUs thanks to the dual 140mm front fans. Certainly more capable than this concept (as you'd expect for the 5+ more liters).