Prototype Project Orthrus - Smallest SLI mATX case (V2)

[3lfk1ng]

I gotta say Luke, I'm really happy to see the bump to 128mm width, ver1.0's width was the only thing that prevented me from following the future of this case.
Now, at 128mm, you have my attention!

As a huge fan of H2O cooling, I voted to leave the height as is.
If anything, maybe include some highly flexible PCI-E ribbon power cables to help overcome that issue.

Also, I wanted to praise your design for including HDMI+ 2xUSB3.0 on the front, it's perfect for wired VR setups.

If I had this case:
I would put a 240MM AIO up front and H2O the CPU but I'm all for aircooling two gpus to keep the size as small as possible.
This is ideal for me as I prefer the overclock the hell out of my CPU. While I do overclock my GPUs, it's not really that necessary.

Keep up the good work!

 

[LukeD]

Thanks 3lfk1ng

I really appreciate your vote and your feedback. Glad to have caught your interest. I'll soon be revealing the 2nd revision, which I hope to have finalised this week Exciting times for this project

 

[BlackRogue]

Glad to see that the height bump was a no no and that the case will support 240 mm AIOs. Is there an update on what the front panel of the case will look like. I've seen the new NZXT AIOs and I think an X52 and two of their Aer RGB fans in the front would look freaking awesome.

 

[LukeD]

I will have the front face of the case completed this week here's a sneak peak....

Tell me if you like it better than the old one (the functional benefit is there is more area for air to pass through)

 

[BlackRogue]

Great design, I do have to say that I am a fan of the original design though, but I see that the added airflow would be a much welcomed addition especially when you will be using that air to cool an AIO

 

[LukeD]

Thanks BlackRouge. Indeed, airflow should be better for this design, as well as prototyping this should be better for my wallet
I was told this will be less expensive than the holes, so hopefully its is a step in the right direction.
P.S. The process to make holes in the original case literally almost doubled the cost price of the 1st prototype.

 

[Kmpkt]

I preferred the aesthetic of the original as well.

 

[iFreilicht]

While I agree with the sentiment that the original vents looked cooler, I also agree that the functional benefit of these vents is quite large. I think you'll have to find a compromise of some sorts.

 

[LukeD]

What I'll do is have the 2nd prototype manufactured with the slots as they are cheaper to do (as Im told) and help with air flow.
Then for testing I'll tape up some of the ventilation openings to "simulate" a reduction in airflow, which is what would be experienced if the old "hole" (or snowflake as someone called it) design was used.

 

[BlackRogue]

Thanks BlackRouge. Indeed, airflow should be better for this design, as well as prototyping this should be better for my wallet
I was told this will be less expensive than the holes, so hopefully its is a step in the right direction.
P.S. The process to make holes in the original case literally almost doubled the cost price of the 1st prototype.

JESUS I never thought of the cost implications. Double the cost simply for the hole effect, as nice as it looks I don't think it's worth sky rocketing the price of the case for it. Also the simulation testing seems like a great idea. Although I'm not sure what difference it will make since I have seen a video where someone literally stuffed a case with a t-shirt, a snoopy christmas toy and several other things without the airflow being dramatically impaired

 

[jeshikat]

P.S. The process to make holes in the original case literally almost doubled the cost price of the 1st prototype.

That's because Protocase doesn't have a punching machine and doing that kind of vent pattern on laser or waterjet is much more time consuming, thus expensive. Even with a punching machine it'd still be more expensive than a simpler pattern like you've proposed but it shouldn't be nearly as bad as Protocase.

 

[csm]

Absolutely love the design of this!

And I agree with Aibohphobia, that to further increase the case would be to detract from the beauty of the original concept.

Also, Luke would the internals benefit from a bottom mounted PSU (so that V2 would effectively be an enlarged upside down V1)? Possibility of top panel ventilation, better weight distribution and maybe more clearance for the second gpu?

 

[3lfk1ng]

I'm all for the simplicity of rectangles.
- Cost less.
- Flows more.

 

[LukeD]

Aibohphobia - you're right. Because of the available machinery Protocase can't do it in a cost efficient manner. However, I will talk with the final manufacturer, to see if they can do the hole pattern efficiently.
Also I'd like to see how the prototype turns out before deciding either way. It looks one way on paper, looks another way in person

CSM - I've thought about V2 having PSU down at the bottom and here's the list of pros i came up for each scenario:

Pro: (for having PSU at bottom)
+ Lower centre of gravity, sturdier when vertical (although this won't be much of a problem since the case is now wider)
+ Marginally more space in the GPU chamber. (literally we're talking about a few mm here.)
+ The power cable to the EPS connector will be shorter
Con:
- The power cables to the GPU will be longer

Pro: (for having the PSU at the top)
+ Away from water / safer if there is a leak (water won't drip on the PSU
+ PSU cables won't conflict with radiator hoses of the AIO.
+ There is more space behind the front panel IO to hide excess power cables and not obstruct airflow
+ The power cables to the GPU's will be a lot shorter
Con:
- The power cable to the EPS connector will be longer

 

[BlackRogue]

Personally I always preferred the PSU at the top, not sure why especially as it meant that the PSU cable has to drag down from the top of the case, but something about it I always liked

 

[BlackRogue]

Quick question: Which way up are you going to recommend horizontal orientation? GPUs up or Mobo up?

Slightly less quick question: Have you thought have you considered a method lifting the case off the desk in horizontal mode? Maybe little feet that you can screw into aluminium side panels

 

[LukeD]

Quick question: Which way up are you going to recommend horizontal orientation? GPUs up or Mobo up?

Slightly less quick question: Have you thought have you considered a method lifting the case off the desk in horizontal mode? Maybe little feet that you can screw into aluminium side panels

I guess that depends if you're water-cooling or not and if you're using a custom loop or not. If custom loop with a reservoir then probably mobo side up, as that's where the reservoir will be.

So the side panels have normal M3 screws securing them to the side of the case. Nothing stops you from using little case feet with m3 screws to raise the case.
Otherwise probably some sort of stick on feet would work as well ?

 

[Gioffry]

Hi LukeD I'm Alfredo i contact you by mail, i saw on Gizmodo Australia that the size case was 10x30x30 9L, now i read that the size is 11.9L. Why?
Another question, if possible to fit inside an sli-hb bridge? I know that with the sli standard cable there is a downframe in game.
When the case approx will be on market?

I like one alluminium side so you can adapt the case for the graphics cards with 3 fans.

I hope you don't change the size to fit a vga liquid cooler.

I have tried to read all the comments, but it's difficult for me understand all.
Sorry for my English.

Bye!

 

[LukeD]

Hey Alfredo, good to see you on the forums.
Gizmodo Australia reported the size incorrectly in their article. Please note that the size will change once again in V2 to accomodate AIO liquid coolers.
You cannot fit an SLI-HB bridge, but you can use 2 x Flex Bridges, which will provide very similar results:

The vents on the side panels will most likely change before the final product is released to accomodate users who want to use graphics cards with 3 fans. However I do think the best performance will be with blower style GPU's or with top GPU water-cooled.
I will try to test thermals with fan based cards, however I might need to community's help to get my hands on such cards.

Size has not increased to accomodate a 2nd GPU water-cooled. Only 1 GPU water-cooled will be supported.

 

[LukeD]

I decided to get a Seasonic 500Watt Gold fully modular PSU. This will probably be useful to those who are looking to run a single GPU setup or dual 1080 + 6700k setup.