• Save 15% on ALL SFF Network merch, until Dec 31st! Use code SFF2024 at checkout. Click here!

Prototype Project Orthrus - Smallest SLI mATX case (V2)

LukeD

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Case Designer
Jun 29, 2016
501
1,308
But ironically enough i did find a little double sided riser, like the one you showed in your picture in all my spare parts :)
It was a left over from a riser cable I completely dismantled :)
I put it aside because I did think to myself to try join the 2 cables together that way.
It would work if you put the connectors in front of the GPU's. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: ricochet

iFreilicht

FlexATX Authority
Feb 28, 2015
3,243
2,361
freilite.com
It would work if you put the connectors in front of the GPU's. :)

Actually, that sounds like a perfectly fine trade-off to me. Sure, it won't look terrific, but it's much easier to do than what you've done, and with non-transparent side-panels, most people wouldn't care anyway.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LukeD

LocoMoto

DEVOURER OF BAKED POTATOES
Jul 19, 2015
287
335
Actually, that sounds like a perfectly fine trade-off to me. Sure, it won't look terrific, but it's much easier to do than what you've done, and with non-transparent side-panels, most people wouldn't care anyway.

To add to this, most people would care a lot, even a slightly colored but hidden one would bother them.
Most who'd see the value in the case wouldn't care though!
 
Last edited:

LukeD

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Case Designer
Jun 29, 2016
501
1,308
By the way a small update where I'm at with all the testing.
I'm waiting for some 1/4" 10/13mm fittings from Alphacool to get here.
Somehow when i was ordering all the water cooling gear I managed to overlook the amount of fittings ill need.
Its very painful to have to wait for the gear to get here ( ETA Friday ) so my testing will commence then.... In the meantime I do have another small teaser for everyone ....

Looks like the last and final test (everything water-cooled) will be going ahead :)
The top GPU will support normal full card water blocks, like those from EK or Bitspower, but the bottom GPU will support universal GPU coolers only (due to the terminals on the full card GPU water blocks exceeding the reference card height limit for the bottom GPU in the case)

 

BlackRogue

Trash Compacter
Oct 22, 2016
45
26

That is a very unique looking design. Did you somehow manage to get just a reference cooler fan that's designed to be used in conjunction with a universal water cooler. Or have you disassembled the original cooler. Also if you did disassemble the cooler, do you think you would be able to modify it to all you to feed the tubing out and still have a full cover cooler (not sure if that would aid or hinder the cooling of the air around the waterblock)
 
  • Like
Reactions: ricochet

LukeD

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Case Designer
Jun 29, 2016
501
1,308
So what I did there was just take off a portion of the metal shroud and plastic see through window on the reference card. Then removed the heatsink that was there.
About 8 screws in total to take both parts off.
The rest of the card stays in tact, this allows the fan to cool the VRM's at the back of the card, while the GPU water block cools the GPU die.
And yes, modifying the top cover would allow covering the card up again, however because the fan on the stock cooler pushes air to the back of the card and the radiator fans in the case push air to the back of the card as well, i don't see a need to put a cover on the card at this stage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ricochet

EdZ

Virtual Realist
May 11, 2015
1,578
2,107
do you think you would be able to modify it to all you to feed the tubing out and still have a full cover cooler (not sure if that would aid or hinder the cooling of the air around the waterblock)
This is actually a somewhat common mod for the previous NVTTM design: take off the front shroud, retain the fan, midplate and VRM sink, and just replace the internal heatpipe/vapour-chamber heatsink with a universal block. Tubing exit can be through a hold cut in the side of the shroud, or through the removed window. The new 'low poly' NVTTM design is pretty much the same internally to the older design.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LukeD

LukeD

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Case Designer
Jun 29, 2016
501
1,308
Not sure if it's too late, but angling the GPUs so that they can overlap slightly would make two waterblocks possible.
(would look pretty cool too)

I actually tried sketching that up. However with the barbs coming out of the GPU's there wouldn't be enough room anyway. The easiest option would be to add the 2,5 cm to the height of the case :)
Especially now that I'm working with water-cooling loops and preparing test results ... I can't imagine how hard it would be with the cards angled.

His quality may actually be greater than Lian-Li's, this case is actually welded to be seamless.
Thank you for the very kind words :) While the design philosophy may be mine.... the execution is all Protocase. They did a crazy good job on this case.
All I'm going to say is I got what I paid for :)
 

LukeD

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Case Designer
Jun 29, 2016
501
1,308
As soon as I'm done with the performance testing, I'll be asking a few manufacturers for quotes.
There might be tiny tweaks before production such as front I/O panel, amount of USB ports or keystone ports. We'll see :)
In the meantime here's a little teaser while i get all the thermal results together ;)

 

K888D

SFF Guru
Lazer3D
Feb 23, 2016
1,483
2,970
www.lazer3d.com
Looks great!

I don't really know much about watercooling setups, but it looks like you have the fans sucking through the radiator?

Won't this mean your pulling the heat back into the case rather than exhausting it out? Plus I would imagine your getting lower flow rate and higher noise from those fans trying to pull through a radiator rather than push through it?
 
  • Like
Reactions: LukeD

LukeD

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Case Designer
Jun 29, 2016
501
1,308
Yeah this was just for a test build. It was just easier for me to leave the radiator mounted as it was and move the components around.
I also wanted to keep it consistent throughout all the variations of the tests i've done.

For my final build that i'll make for the photos I'll have pretty much this setup but with hard tubing and FANs definitely in front of the radiator ;)

I'll also use proper fittings. I had to use all the fittings I had laying around to put this together as my package that I was expecting on Friday didn't arrive on time. I didn't want to waste another weekend without testing.
 

LukeD

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Case Designer
Jun 29, 2016
501
1,308
Brilliant ! was looking for something like that. I found the Phyoba ones: 90 degree, but they are about 27mm. They are just a little bit oversize (approx 27mm).
So i think these will work very well since they are 20mm.
 

|||

King of Cable Management
Sep 26, 2015
775
759
Cool; glad I could help. Just be certain to account for clearances of the tube fitting on the end of it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LukeD