Prototype Project Orthrus - Smallest SLI mATX case (V2)

BlackRogue

Trash Compacter
Oct 22, 2016
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Do you know if the V2 will have any small spaces that you could place some form of internal USB hub similar to this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NZXT-IU01-ACC-NT-IU01-R-Internal-Expansion/dp/B0031ESKJA

After looking around at mATX X99 motherboards I could only see one motherboard that has built in WiFi, and it's upwards of £250 and I'd rather not have to use one of the rear USB ports for something as simple as a WiFi/Bluetooth dongle
 

LukeD

Master of Cramming
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Jun 29, 2016
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Yes, V2 will have a little more space in it due to the layout changes. On the motherboard side of the case there will be room on the bottom of the case and also on the top (on the bracket under the power supply). If you're keen to use double sided tape.

Here's a small preview, i've highlighted the areas of interest in pink



 
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jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
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Feb 22, 2015
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After looking around at mATX X99 motherboards I could only see one motherboard that has built in WiFi,

Only the ASUS X99-M WS comes with a card but most of the others have a slot for a wireless card.
 

BlackRogue

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Oct 22, 2016
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Only the ASUS X99-M WS comes with a card but most of the others have a slot for a wireless card.
Are you on about the m.2 slot, because that is just for storage as far as I know given that there are no antennas on the rear IO to attach it to. I know you can get PCIe slot based wireless cards, but that would require a third PCIe extender not that there appears to be room in the case for that anyway
 

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
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Feb 22, 2015
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Ah you're right, I should have double-checked. The Gigabyte X99M-Gaming 5 does have a wireless card slot and mountings for the antenna in the IO shield but the ASRock boards and the current EVGA do not have WiFi slots.
 

BlackRogue

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Oct 22, 2016
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Ah you're right, I should have double-checked. The Gigabyte X99M-Gaming 5 does have a wireless card slot and mountings for the antenna in the IO shield but the ASRock boards and the current EVGA do not have WiFi slots.

I had no idea about the Gigabyte one, but I feel like I would still rather have the M.2 slot for storage over a wireless card
 

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
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Feb 22, 2015
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The Gigabyte has two M.2 slots, one for storage and the other for a wireless card. The problem with it is like the ASUS, the M.2 is limited to 10Gb/s so it bottlenecks drives like the Samsung 950/960.
 

BlackRogue

Trash Compacter
Oct 22, 2016
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Really? That sucks for an expensive board like I want like 500Gb/s - Possibly using hyperbole here. I think I will just stick with my idea of the EVGA micro 2 and then the internal usb hub for hiding an internal antenna alongside my XBone controller wireless adapter
 

LukeD

Master of Cramming
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Jun 29, 2016
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EVGA Micro 2 - that's exactly the build I'm going to make in the 2nd revision:

 

LukeD

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5820k is a nice CPU too.
The EVGA Micro 2 looks like a nice board ... looks fairly bland ... which makes it easy to match up with any colour scheme
 

BlackRogue

Trash Compacter
Oct 22, 2016
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The plain black layout is exactly the reason I like it, that and the fact it has a type C connector. Something that the refreshed ATX X99 boards all seem to be getting, but EVGA seems to be the only manufacturer that have refreshed the mATX board as well as there FTW board IIRC
 
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sshantt

Efficiency Noob
Nov 1, 2016
5
1
One of the best cases I've ever seen. Brilliant work given the limited space.

I find your first revision just perfect, except for the SLI cables... which can be sorted given thinner PCIE riser cables for only 20,000 bucksXD

I'm planning a build for when the case is released, exactly like your 6700k build except with two EVGA 1080 FTW's, which have two 8 pin connectors each. Would the FSP700-80UEPB PSU still work with my build in terms of connectors and power?
 

LukeD

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Jun 29, 2016
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Thank you sshantt for the very kind words :)

You're very brave trying to cram in the EVGA FTW's considering the recent news about them catching fire :)

The SLI cable issue can also be solved by doing a 90 degree bend on the riser cable and then undoing it. I will be trying that on prototype 2 :) Might need a longer riser cable, until Li Heats super skinny risers are out, which will be plug and play in my case. The have the same standoff positions as my existing Adexelec ones.

The FSP700-80UEPB PSU is a beast of a PSU. It has 4 x 12v rails rated at 16A each. Being as quiet as it is, even under decent load you may be able to accomplish what you're after.

Lets say you reserve 1 x 12v (16A) rail, which is 192Watts for motherboard, cpu, ram, hdd's, fans etc ...
You have 3 x 12v (16A) rail, which is 576 Watts for the GPU's. Which should be enough to even power Titan XP's, which are 250Watts each.
Those 3 rails can be split among 4 x 8 pin PCIE connectors.

Unfortunately stock standard the FSP PSU is a server grade PSU which means it has multiple 8 PIN CPU connectors and only 1 PCIe connector. These need to be changed.

I'm in talks with FSP about getting "gamer" versions of this PSU made, which will come with the correct 8 PIN PCie plugs. I do not know yet if this PSU will be included with the case, it might drive the price way too high, due to the cost of that PSU being around $180 USD itself.

The second revision is also going to support FlexATX as I'm aware some users will want to build ITX systems in this case and potentially single GPU solutions as well. So now bundling in a PSU that a large proportion of users may not want will deter interested parties.

Another possibility is to use 8pin CPU to 8pin PCIe adapters, just be mindful of the clearances as there isn't much room to hide away cabling. Everything is on show in this case so cabling must be on point.
 

sshantt

Efficiency Noob
Nov 1, 2016
5
1
Thanks :p ... bought a note 7 recently, seems everything I buy wants to catch fire these days.

If the rail wattage distribution is adequate, I could just get an electrician to change the connector heads and rewire it properly so that it looks neat.

Three rails for the GPU's would be perfect. I'm not sure that 192Watts for the other components is sufficient though. Max Values look like this... CPU 91W, Cooler 10W, Motherboard 60W, Ram 29W, SSD m.2 10W, Fans 10W, adding up to 210W. Hence, is 192W going to be enough, given that all components probably won't be fully stressed at the same time? Also, are you 100% sure its 4 actual rails?

About bundling the PSU's, from an economists perspective, your'e best off offering the case without the PSU's with a modest markup, as that would lead to the greatest audience. Secondly, selling both PSU's (Modded) as extra accessories at a high price/markup IMO is your best bet, since some people wont have the patience to mod the PSU themselves and wouldn't mind paying a premium.
 

LukeD

Master of Cramming
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Jun 29, 2016
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Oh no, that's some bad luck on the Note 7 there.

Yes, an electrician can definitely do it for you. My dad was one, taught me a few things here and there, I was ballsy enough to open mine up and rewire it as necessary. Here are the photos of the 12v connections i traced back on the original wiring:



These are JUST the 12v+ traces:
Blue cables go to 12V1
White cables go to 12V2
Black cables go to 12V3
Yellow cables go to 12V4

And yes, it looks to me like there are 4 x 12v rails. FSP also lists them on their website.
 
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