The pillars don't sound like they provide structural purchase. Maybe just have them slot inside the other parts.
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Completed Project Thin-X case: Super small, super flexible
- Thread starter CC Ricers
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- case thin mini itx
The pillars don't sound like they provide structural purchase. Maybe just have them slot inside the other parts.
Yeah, looks like that should work. With all the side panels installed, the pillars should stay in place.
Not sure what the plan with this case is, but since single slot low profile GTX 1050ti is being produced, this case could be sweet for someone needing a low power PC for some esports games. I had a similar idea for a case, but instead thought about putting a pcie slot parallel to mobo such as NFC S4 mini. Combine that with a 65w CPU, since it has such low clearance, could make for a great LAN party pc.
Additionally, VESA mounting the case along with the monitor to a stand could be very portable, while hiding most cables, since you could get away with very short HDMI or DP cable.
Additionally, VESA mounting the case along with the monitor to a stand could be very portable, while hiding most cables, since you could get away with very short HDMI or DP cable.
I might make two prototypes, a smaller one to go with external power bricks, and a somewhat larger one to fit a Meanwell PSU inside. The larger one would still be under 220mm on width and length. The frame can't get too big or it will be out of the bounds of the printing bed.
I've got the Inno3D GTX 1050 Ti single slot and I cannot say it is the most silent and well cooled GPU...
That doesn't surprise me. Maybe adding a 40mm fan on each side, one blowing onto the CPU, and one blowing onto the GPU, would help with noise and cooling?
I will try out the WX 4100 card tonight, and it has a single tiny fan for its low profile heatsink. So I'm curious to hear how loud it gets. For me it's mostly not an issue since I usually have headphones on, but it could be a different story for living room and home theater use.
I had a Scythe 100mm fan blowing onto the GPU ; did not make much difference.
This is just the sound signature of the fan which has lots of bearing noise.
This is not a blower like the KFA2 750 Ti or 1070 Katana (I have a thing for single slot GPUs...), so it is not as efficient cooling-wise either.
I'll try to replace the stock fan by the blower of the Intel HTS1155LP , which seemed not that bad.
Under 60 mm, cross flow fans could have been a decent solution but this is by far the noisiest fan I ever tried...
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What are your thoughts of a taller version of the case to fit dual slot cards? Single slot cards more powerful than a GT 1030 or RX 550 are hard to come by in North America, unless you get a much more expensive workstation card. They are great for e-sports or light AAA games but something more in the midrange would require a dual slot GTX 1050 Ti or 1060.
I have a design in the works that's a taller variation for dual slot cards. It has the same sandwich layout, but still not as wide as say the Hutzy XS. It will be about 83mm tall (3.25 inches). The single slot version will be 55mm (2.25 inches).
I have a design in the works that's a taller variation for dual slot cards. It has the same sandwich layout, but still not as wide as say the Hutzy XS. It will be about 83mm tall (3.25 inches). The single slot version will be 55mm (2.25 inches).
Do you mind detailing how you come up with 83 mm ?
With a standard thin mini-ITX MB and my riser, I can achieve a minimum height of 67 mm.
With a standard thin mini-ITX MB and my riser, I can achieve a minimum height of 67 mm.
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At 83mm, it'll be better to use a low profile GPU, not have to deal with the riser at the expense of a slightly larger case. The area above the CPU can be used for SSDs, larger cooler, internal brick.. etc.
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As shown on my previous post, you get away with a minimum external height of 70 mm.
35W or more chips also offer lots of possibilities cooling-wise.
I could cool an i3 6100 with a coolpipe and a Zalman VF900 GPU cooler.
Would be too bad to have a noisy LP cooler when you can run a silent GPU with my custom riser
35W or more chips also offer lots of possibilities cooling-wise.
I could cool an i3 6100 with a coolpipe and a Zalman VF900 GPU cooler.
Would be too bad to have a noisy LP cooler when you can run a silent GPU with my custom riser
Do you mind detailing how you come up with 83 mm ?
With a standard thin mini-ITX MB and my riser, I can achieve a minimum height of 67 mm.
Is the blue part the CPU heatsink or something else? I see another heatsink on the motherboard though...
That's the plan
I could fit a Meanwell EPP-200 in the space above the CPU. But with a 2-slot card, I want to support both low profile and full-height cards. The EPP-200 can fit even with a full-height card. If there's a low profile card you can fit a larger cooler, larger PSU, or several SSDs. 83mm is also tall enough to fit a SSD sideways in both configurations.
The other heatsink is the original one, that I replaced by flat coolpipe and a Zalman VF900, which has been drawn in blue.
Since QM77 CPUs have a 51 x 51 mm mounting holes pattern, I could mod my Zalman to sit directly over the CPU and use a low profile GPU.
I would stay within a 200 x 200 x 70 (2.8L) total volume.
Here's a revised design of the smaller case, for single slot cards. The revisions are mostly in the 3D printed parts.
I can go back to rounded and beveled edges without being too costly. Those parts are mostly limited to the bezels at the front and the back, reducing the volume and surface area needed for printing. This makes it much cheaper to print now. The rigidity of the case is maintained by the bottom and side panels as they remain screwed in.
I can go back to rounded and beveled edges without being too costly. Those parts are mostly limited to the bezels at the front and the back, reducing the volume and surface area needed for printing. This makes it much cheaper to print now. The rigidity of the case is maintained by the bottom and side panels as they remain screwed in.
Looks great. You can also choose to run the lip for the top and bottom panel the length of the 3d printed part. The cost increase would be minimal.
Thanks Do you mean the lip that reaches towards the middle of the case, length wise or height wise?
Still making more changes to the parts, in particular adding motherboard standoffs and placement of notches for a middle tray made of acrylic. This tray is going to be ~25mm above the motherboard, to create a duct for the CPU cooler, screw on SSD's, as well as mounting a flexible riser for the expansion card.
The tray should be removable without screws, by using instead a sliding mechanism with the 3D frame to hold it in place when the front and rear panels are attached.
Do you mean the lip that reaches towards the middle of the case, length wise or height wise?Still making more changes to the parts, in particular adding motherboard standoffs and placement of notches for a middle tray made of acrylic. This tray is going to be ~25mm above the motherboard, to create a duct for the CPU cooler, screw on SSD's, as well as mounting a flexible riser for the expansion card.
The tray should be removable without screws, by using instead a sliding mechanism with the 3D frame to hold it in place when the front and rear panels are attached.
https://i.imgur.com/iLwfDKz.png
That's all. If its intended for Shapeways, you don't have to be concerned about overhangs.
That's all. If its intended for Shapeways, you don't have to be concerned about overhangs.
Oh yeah, I see. I don't think they need to be made any longer. Those panels are small enough that they shouldn't really bend or warp with those in place.
I will indeed be using Shapeways. Most of the model is perfect for printing, aside from some edges. It does not like when edges meet at angles going from the bottom up, because of the layers. Since layers aren't infinitely thin, they require some very small flange above the diagonal edge (where the lips are). I will fix this manually, the automatic fix isn't as good.
I will indeed be using Shapeways. Most of the model is perfect for printing, aside from some edges. It does not like when edges meet at angles going from the bottom up, because of the layers. Since layers aren't infinitely thin, they require some very small flange above the diagonal edge (where the lips are). I will fix this manually, the automatic fix isn't as good.
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