Stalled Project Argo

[Argofisto]

Hello everyone,??

Today I want to present you a small idea that I want to create based on the current specifications of my pc, I have been designing a cheap and simple case itx for a long time, but because of the COVID-19 it becomes more impossible than it was, in The possibility of acquiring itx parts is limited or almost impossible in my country, the only option is to import.
My goal with this case is to have the smallest footprint on the desk, keeping each of the parts I own.

My specs are:
CPU: Ryzen 5 2600?
Cooler CPU: Stock Wraith Steahl
GPU: MSI R9 390 Gaming 8gb
Ram: Crucial Ballistix 2x8 gb 2666 mhz
SSD: 240gb Kingston m.2 sata3
MB: MSI B450m PRO VDH-PLUS
PSU: Cougar CMX550w Plus Bronze
Case: Deepcool Matrexx 30
Fans: Deepcool rf120 x2

Here are some images of what I have been reviewing and how I would distribute the parts of my pc:

In the images there is neither my motherboard nor the psu, so I took as a reference the asrock b450m steel legend and the psu seasonic.
I plan to use 20x10mm aluminum angles 1.3mm thick, some screws and rivets, and for now cover the wall behind the motherboard with a 9mm thick mdf plate. The remaining uncovered walls, I plan to cover them with some kind of mesh to avoid dust.

The measurements of the case are 25,5 x 17 x 33,5 cm, 14,5 liters approximately.
the top piece and the bottom piece, I want it to be a piece of aluminum bent in the corresponding measures, that way I can save fixing points on the structure or so I think.

In conclusion, I want to know if anyone has any opinion or suggestion, the quarantine has been long and I don't think it will end soon.
Greetings and thank you very much for reading.

 

[anilgulalan]

I am designing a similar case like this for 2 months. Different dimensions but the same volume. I didn't post it until i finish all details. Looks promising. Good luck.

 

[Argofisto]

I am designing a similar case like this for 2 months. Different dimensions but the same volume. I didn't post it until i finish all details. Looks promising. Good luck.

 

[Argofisto]

I still wanted to make a more complete post when I finished it, but I don't have some of the materials from the quarantine, so I preferred to leave a record of what I want to achieve, thanks, same to you.

 

[Argofisto]

A few hours ago I started learning a little about Fusion 360, the truth has been complicated, but after a few days learning in sketchup, I am getting a little used to some shortcuts and settings.
I started creating a case based on the measurements and model that I already had in sketchup and this is the first result, the truth is I am quite satisfied, given my almost zero experience in the software, I hope that if someone is interested in this model and the features you have please contact me, either to know more about the idea or maybe I can help with the model.
The material is steel 2 mm thick.

Cheers

 

[Valantar]

For a one-off mATX build, this doesn't look half-bad, though it does trip over one of my pet peeves of these kinds of builds: (non-front I/O) cables coming out of more than one panel. To a certain degree this is unavoidable unless you want to add an internal PSU extension (and the space necessary for this), and assuming the PSU exhaust is meant to be the back of the case it would still likely look relatively clean. Still, the vent design looks decent and (as any simple metal box would) the overall look is nice and clean.

A few comments:
- As I noted in another thread, 2mm thick steel is far more than you need for side panels. The Cerberus uses .9mm/20 gauge for its frame, and for non-structural panels you can go quite a lot thinner again. The Tesla Cybertruck uses 3mm stainless steel panels, and they hit that thing with a sledgehammer on stage, so unless you plan to regularly take a hammer to your case, go thinner. Aluminium is much weaker than steel for the same thickness, but also much lighter, so 2mm panels in aluminium would be reasonable. Going by this metal weight calculator, 2mm steel side panels with your measurements would add up to a weight of 5.83kg just for the panels - IIRC my entire modded Optiplex 990 weighs something like that including all components, so that is quite a lot for just the panels. Even assuming your cutouts amount to 50% of the area of the panels that is nearly 3kg of side panels alone, not including the frame or components. So, if you want steel panels mounted on a frame, slim them down. I would go for another material though:
- Steel is very hard and difficult/expensive to machine. For a panel with a lot of cutouts like that, it would likely be much cheaper to use aluminium. The metal itself would be more expensive, but not the machining, which will cost more in any case. In that case, 2mm panels would likely be fine - even without cutouts they would weigh less than 2kg, and with cutouts even less than that. MDF, acrylic, or really anything else with decent rigidity would be suitable for non-structural panels though. You could even use fine steel mesh or some sort of cloth for maximum ventilation.
- What size is that PSU model? It's quite close to your GPU in the render, and if I'm right in guessing it's a Focus Gold, those units are 140mm long, 20mm shorter than your Cougar. That would mean your PSU would interfere with the GPU. Even without this there would be very little space for cables in there - depending on the GPU length and modular cable connectors on the PSU, you might not be able to plug in the upper row cables on the PSU. (If you've accounted for this, never mind, obviously )
- How are you planning to mount your panels? From the most recent renders, it looks like the big side panel is rounded on top and conected to the top panel. Are they a single piece of metal? If so, remember that the GPU needs to screw into the top panel, so having that attach to the large side panel would make assembly and disassembly difficult. The "standard" solution on these forums for one-off cases is using threaded metal cubes in the corners to hold the panels or frame together, though of course you could use angle brackets, rivet or weld the frame and screw in the panels, etc. The threaded cubes would interfere with PSU mounting at least, so some consideration is needed there.
- There is no active airflow in your renders, and no top ventilation. Even with lots of cutouts, this would mean a very hot design. No matter what I would add venting on the top panel, but preferably also a fan mount there to aid in CPU and VRM cooling. Some intake fans to aid the GPU in getting fresh air directly in front of the GPU cooler would also be beneficial (the top exhaust would help draw in fresh air for the rest of the components through the vented panels, so you likely don't need an intake fan for that - though it might still help).
- Any design with top I/O should IMO account for cable management in some way. Remember that anything plugged into the case will stick up there like a poorly groomed mohawk unless you do something to wrangle it. This could be as simple as adding some sort of tie-down point towards the rear of the top panel, allowing you to zip-tie or velcro down any errant cables, or as complex as extending the side panels up to create a walled-in area for cable management. A middle-ground solution would be extending the rear side panel upwards by a few cm with a hole in the top of it to pass cables through.

All that being said, I hope to see you keep iterating on your design - it'll definitely be interesting to see it come to life!

 

[Argofisto]

Hi man, I appreciate the comments but this model no longer goes with what I have designed, I keep the steel as a material, but now with a thickness of 1.5 mm, in this case the case is two parts with a u shape, the panel rear is structural, all components are held there,
and on the front panel only two fans (I'm still deciding whether to make them there or not), so it could decrease its thickness if necessary, so far the specifications of the case are as follows:
MB: micro-atx, mini-itx
Gpu: lenght max 300
Storage: 2 hdd 3.5, 2 ssd 2.5 "or 6 if gpu is lenght is 250 or less
PSU: ATX, adapter for sfx and sfx-l
Fans: 2 fans 120mm, 2 fans 80mm
Cooler: Air height max 145mm, AIO 120mm
Dimensions
Without feet 356mm x 255mm x 170.2mm
With feet 363.5 mm x 255 mm x 170.2 mm

Vol 15.45 liters
Estimated Weigth (Fusion 360): 3.44 kg
Estimate Metal Weight Calculator: 4.57 kg

More renders
I apologize for the quality of the renders, I am working on improving that part
Here a new gallery of a couple of more recent renderings of the design, I appreciate the comments, greetings

 

[Argofisto]

i will create a new thread when i have a design more consistent and better quality.
I hope you support me with feedback when i do.

Regards