!nverse: A Highly Versatile Steam-Box Design

[esplin2966]

Some pictures of the interior for you guys! I just started building in it, so cellphone pictures are all I have.

Once you remove the red top and bottom panels, the !nverse case decomposes into something that looks like a test rack, shown below:

In my early interviews with builders, they all stated that one of their biggest frustrations with building in a mITX case is that there is almost no room to build in. That, along with the adage that you always want to build outside of the case first, gave birth to this design.

This way, you can test individual components while building within the case, all with ample space for your hands to reach everywhere.

Now you just attach all the wires, flip them over...

...and then you have a completed PC block that the red top and bottom panels can attach to. Note that in this picture, I'm using a 120mm AIO cooler instead of the 240mm AIO cooler in previous pictures. This is because I found out after I took the first 3 pictures that my Cooler Master 240M is defective, so I had to switch it out. Hopefully I can get a replacement soon so I can show you guys how a 240mm AIO cooler fit in the case.

 

[Phuncz]

Certainly an innovative internal design, I can see the merit in doing it like this for the buyers.

Wouldn't it be better to just use no fans in the GPU area or replace them with fan shrouds like this one ?
To minimize points of failure, cables, sources of noise and potential harmonics between different fans close together.

 

[jtd871]

Phuncz beat me to the fan shroud comment.

 

[esplin2966]

Certainly an innovative internal design, I can see the merit in doing it like this for the buyers.

Wouldn't it be better to just use no fans in the GPU area or replace them with fan shrouds like this one ?
To minimize points of failure, cables, sources of noise and potential harmonics between different fans close together.

Phuncz beat me to the fan shroud comment.

I'm not sure if it would be better to have just a fan shroud instead of having a fan. Phuncz mentioned some disadvantages having a fan over the GPU, but one potential gain is the cooling performance of the GPU, which is usually the hottest component. I think it's worth it if the GPU is much cooler without the fan vs. with the fan. That will be tested with the prototype.

That being said, I know that there is a lot of controversy regarding fan stacking. I have the fans so I can test and really figure out if this helps for cooling the GPU in a constrained space. If it doesn't seem to help, then I will add shrouds or move the GPU up to make space for other components (slim ODD??) below.

 

[esplin2966]

Hey guys, just put together the build and...

...IT LIVES!!

Preliminary temperature tests are promising I'll do a more detailed write-up once I do a systematic test and gather up enough data.

 

[jeshikat]

How's the power button in practice?

 

[esplin2966]

How's the power button in practice?

To be honest, not great. The case feet needs to be like 15mm for it to work, and it's not comfortable. I think I'll be looking for other places to put the power button for the next prototype.

 

[iFreilicht]

Very nice, it looks huge though. How large is that monitor?

I like being able to build in it like on a testbench, that's something you need in cases like this to make the build comfortable.

Didn't expect that power button to be practical in the firs place, to be perfectly honest. But hey, that's what prototypes are made for.

 

[jØrd]

looking at the keyboard in the shot id guestimate its about the width of a fully extended keyboard?

 

[esplin2966]

Hey everyone, I'm getting ready to run some systematic tests. Here is what I have planned so far:

1) CPU Temperature Tests - With Prime95

a) With outer panels off

i) Intel Stock Cooler
ii) Silverstone AR05
iii) CM 120V AIO Cooler
iv) CM 240M AIO Cooler​

b) With outer panels on

i) Intel Stock Cooler
ii) Silverstone AR05
iii) CM 120V AIO Cooler
iv) CM 240M AIO Cooler​

2) GPU Temperature Tests - With Unigine Valley

a) With outer panels off

i) With fans over GPU
ii) Without fans over GPU​

b) With outer panels on

i) With fans over GPU
ii) Without fans over GPU​

3) Structural Tests
Put my 50 inch TV on top of the case (including components in it) and look for buckling, bending, and other modes of physical failure.

4) Noise Tests - Measure noise in dBA with noise meter

a) Idle

i) With fans over GPU
ii) Without fans over GPU​

b) Load

i) With fans over GPU

1. CPU with Prime95
2) GPU with Unigine Valley​

ii) Without fans over GPU

1. CPU with Prime95
2. GPU with Unigine Valley​

5) Special Noise Test - Measure noise in dBA with noise meter

a) With case inverted
b) With case upright​

A few questions:

1) With the temperature tests, should I keep the fans spinning at a constant speed, or let the PWM take care of it?

2) Is a specific kind of test that you would like to see? Let me know and I will add it in.

Very nice, it looks huge though. How large is that monitor?

I like being able to build in it like on a testbench, that's something you need in cases like this to make the build comfortable.

Didn't expect that power button to be practical in the firs place, to be perfectly honest. But hey, that's what prototypes are made for.

Haha, yeah in hindsight the bottom power button was probably a long shot. I just want something on my hands asap instead of being stuck in thought designs so I can hammer out all these details quickly.

At 466mm, the case is a little less-wide than my 21.5" monitor.

Yeah, I've been swapping components in and out of the case, and it's much easier than in the Silverstone ML07. I'm glad that this part of the design turns out to be pretty good.

 

[iFreilicht]

Wow, that's really wide. (funny that I should say that ) But I guess if you want space for an AIO or multiple 3.5" drives you've got to go a bit bigger than usual. And hey, you're still way below the stupid size the Corsair Bulldog has and still manage to fit watercooling parts.

 

[Phuncz]

The testing seems extensive enough in my opinion, I'm curious for the results !

 

[jeshikat]

You could leave the motherboard fan control on and record the fan RPM. It would mean that the temp graphs on their own wouldn't be that useful but it's more representative of actual builds.

 

[esplin2966]

Wow, that's really wide. (funny that I should say that ) But I guess if you want space for an AIO or multiple 3.5" drives you've got to go a bit bigger than usual. And hey, you're still way below the stupid size the Corsair Bulldog has and still manage to fit watercooling parts.

Yeah it's a bit wide, but I think I'm making pretty good use of space considering what fits in there. Still room for improvements though, particularly in the GPU space.

The testing seems extensive enough in my opinion, I'm curious for the results !

Cool! Do you think I should keep fans constant for the temperature tests or run RPM?

You could leave the motherboard fan control on and record the fan RPM. It would mean that the temp graphs on their own wouldn't be that useful but it's more representative of actual builds.

You're talking about like recording a plot of fan RPM to plot alongside the temperature plots right? Good idea! Thanks man!

 

[iFreilicht]

Yeah it's a bit wide, but I think I'm making pretty good use of space considering what fits in there. Still room for improvements though, particularly in the GPU space.

Those PEG connectors always stick out like a sore thumb. So much space goes to waste because of those

 

[esplin2966]

Those PEG connectors always stick out like a sore thumb. So much space goes to waste because of those

Yeah I hate them... always add an extra 20mm to the width of the GPU. Another thing that bothers me is the empty space between the bottom of the PCI bracket and the bottom of the GPU PCB. That's like a long 20mm-wide strip of useless space (if you lay the GPU on it's side ala steam machine cases)!

 

[Phuncz]

Cool! Do you think I should keep fans constant for the temperature tests or run RPM?

Constant fan rate will allow you to extrapolate more results about heatsinks, but it's also unrealistic since most people will run with variable fan curves (default templates mainly).

It's up to you, but since most SFF people seem to generally desire a quiet operation in idle and allow some noise during gaming, I'd test it with a straight fan ramp (0-100% duty cycle for 15° to 75°C) and with another one that allows the lowest possible noise in idle/browsing and gaming.

For me that's about 30-35% up to 50°C with about 60-70% at 70°C, using Noctua NF-F12 fans with 300-1500+ fan range.
So they're always at 500rpm for most usage and only ramp up while I'm gaming or putting on other loads.

 

[iFreilicht]

Yeah I hate them... always add an extra 20mm to the width of the GPU. Another thing that bothers me is the empty space between the bottom of the PCI bracket and the bottom of the GPU PCB. That's like a long 20mm-wide strip of useless space (if you lay the GPU on it's side ala steam machine cases)!

That space can be used for front I/O, though, as it's always in the same position. But yeah, minimizing the space wasted there is one of the key challenges with slim cases.
And I also love that the R9 Nano has its PEG connector in the front for that same reason. So much space to save

 

[esplin2966]

Looks like everyone wants to see tests with PWM, but also want fan speeds (in % maybe?) plotted with the temperature, so that's what I'll do.

Here is an updated test list. I've also added one more test for various PCIe riser cables.

1) CPU Temperature Tests - With Prime95

a) With outer panels off

i) Intel Stock Cooler
ii) Silverstone AR05
iii) CM 120V AIO Cooler
iv) CM 240M AIO Cooler​

b) With outer panels on

i) Intel Stock Cooler
ii) Silverstone AR05
iii) CM 120V AIO Cooler
iv) CM 240M AIO Cooler​

2) GPU Temperature Tests - With Unigine Valley

a) With outer panels off

i) With fans over GPU
ii) Without fans over GPU​

b) With outer panels on

i) With fans over GPU
ii) Without fans over GPU​

3) Structural Tests
Put my 50 inch TV on top of the case (including components in it) and look for buckling, bending, and other modes of physical failure.

4) Noise Tests - Measure noise in dBA with noise meter

a) Idle

i) With fans over GPU
ii) Without fans over GPU​

b) Load

i) With fans over GPU

1. CPU with Prime95
2) GPU with Unigine Valley​

ii) Without fans over GPU

1. CPU with Prime95
2. GPU with Unigine Valley​

5) Special Noise Test - Measure noise in dBA with noise meter

a) With case inverted
b) With case upright​

6) PCIe Riser Test - Compare Unigine Valley Benchmark Results

a) Shielded 3M PCIe riser cable
b) Unshielded PCIe riser cable
c) Unshielded PCIe riser cable with EMI shielding tape over it​

Let me know if you guys think of anything else to test. Thanks!

Constant fan rate will allow you to extrapolate more results about heatsinks, but it's also unrealistic since most people will run with variable fan curves (default templates mainly).

It's up to you, but since most SFF people seem to generally desire a quiet operation in idle and allow some noise during gaming, I'd test it with a straight fan ramp (0-100% duty cycle for 15° to 75°C) and with another one that allows the lowest possible noise in idle/browsing and gaming.

For me that's about 30-35% up to 50°C with about 60-70% at 70°C, using Noctua NF-F12 fans with 300-1500+ fan range.
So they're always at 500rpm for most usage and only ramp up while I'm gaming or putting on other loads.

That's great advice, thank you. Basically the idea is have 2 versions of PWM to test, one in quiet mode, one in performance mode. I think I'll do performance mode first, and then if I still have time I'll do quiet mode.

That space can be used for front I/O, though, as it's always in the same position. But yeah, minimizing the space wasted there is one of the key challenges with slim cases.
And I also love that the R9 Nano has its PEG connector in the front for that same reason. So much space to save

Yes! I'm thinking about moving the power button and front I/O there. Need to be careful to make sure they're not in the way of hot exhaust airflow though, or things could go bad (melted solder after extended gaming sessions?)

 

[iFreilicht]

According to wikipedia, the typical melting point for common soldering alloys is between 180°-190° C, so with GPUs shutting down at 100°C internal temperature, and the exhaust air being quite a bit colder, you'll be in the green.