Completed S401: Salvo Studios <8L mITX Steel Unibody Chassis w/ GPU & CPU fans in same direction

[grsychckn]

For those planning on spending the money on the Noctua 60mm not sure if anyone mention this... but you going to need to buy a right angle adapter for that front USB hub... or get a female to female 20 pin low profile cable. Cause this isn't gonna work... I kinda wish I had known before ordering a 60mm x 25mm fan.

Yes, it is a very tight fit. However, with a little massaging and the heat gun, I was able to get it to fit snugly. Those included blue USB cables are quite stiff and need a little heat for encouragement.

I would recommend bending the USB cables with heat, plugging them into the adapter, and then mounting the fan.

 

[papayo]

Yes, it is a very tight fit. However, with a little massaging and the heat gun, I was able to get it to fit snugly. Those included blue USB cables are quite stiff and need a little heat for encouragement.

I would recommend bending the USB cables with heat, plugging them into the adapter, and then mounting the fan.

Daaamn I was wondering how to mount that fan. Thanks!

 

[grsychckn]

I've partnered with AdoredTV to giveaway an S401 with custom panels. Watch the video to find out entry information.

 

[annasoh323]

@annasoh323 : did I read somewhere (pcpp, maybe?) that you had to get sata power cable extensions for your sf450 in your s401? Just want to make sure I have all the parts on hand. I'd be using 2x2.5" 860 Evo's.

Cheers!

Sorry, friend, the holidays took me away from the forums for all this time. This is what I ordered and they've been working fine for my 2x 2.5 HDDs and 1x SSD.

 

[primitiveType]

Yes, it is a very tight fit. However, with a little massaging and the heat gun, I was able to get it to fit snugly. Those included blue USB cables are quite stiff and need a little heat for encouragement.

I would recommend bending the USB cables with heat, plugging them into the adapter, and then mounting the fan.

Funny, I bought one of these noctuas thinking it was the right size, and when I received it ended up not putting it in. After seeing this post, I ran and crammed mine in the case. A couple of things... (begin stream of consciousness)

First, I am really tempted to drill some new holes, either for the fan (to shift it over a bit to not block the front-most ssd slot) or for the ssd's (so that they can be positioned differently to not interfere with the fan, although I haven't laid it out or done the math).

It would be pretty sweet to see a version of this case with support for these fans. I think if you nudged things around a bit, you could get away with just adding 10mm to the top (above the motherboard) and then sliding the ssd's up a few mm, and you'd be able to use the 60x25's on both sides. Adding .2 liters isn't ideal... but it would be worth it for better cooling.
I'm sure there are serious flaws in this (especially wrt different configurations) but if it's viable I think it would eliminate my only gripe about this case.

Also, the position of this fan is slightly odd to me. It seems like it should be closer to the riser card. Couldn't you fit two of them if you had an angle connector and the first one was up against the riser? And does it make sense to have this fan pulling air into the gpu or should it be pushing? I assumed pull since it's on the bottom.

 

[KidWeaBoo]

Has anyone tried fitting a 120mm aio?

 

[grsychckn]

I think if you nudged things around a bit, you could get away with just adding 10mm to the top (above the motherboard) and then sliding the ssd's up a few mm, and you'd be able to use the 60x25's on both sides. Adding .2 liters isn't ideal... but it would be worth it for better cooling.

Absolutely. If I increased that dimension by 10mm the 25mm fans would fit on the top. Not only that, but the clearance for the front button would increase allowing for better tolerance between the C14 angled connector and the front button. I need to post a list of the pending changes I would make if there is an S402 design. Unfortunately, I can't think of that until I've sold all the S401 units.

Also, the position of this fan is slightly odd to me. It seems like it should be closer to the riser card.

It could definitely be closer to the riser card. Yet another thing I would revise. I even believe that was my intent because where it sits now it interferes with two 2.5" drives and I distinctly recall noting I wanted to adjust its location to only interfere with one of the two.

 

[grsychckn]

Has anyone tried fitting a 120mm aio?

I have one customer who is planning to cram a 120mm AIO in the S401 but he is waiting for the spring. He's a teacher and wants to walk through a mod project with his students. If I can get any information I'll pass that on.

 

[annasoh323]

Funny, I bought one of these noctuas thinking it was the right size, and when I received it ended up not putting it in. After seeing this post, I ran and crammed mine in the case. A couple of things... (begin stream of consciousness)

First, I am really tempted to drill some new holes, either for the fan (to shift it over a bit to not block the front-most ssd slot) or for the ssd's (so that they can be positioned differently to not interfere with the fan, although I haven't laid it out or done the math).

It would be pretty sweet to see a version of this case with support for these fans. I think if you nudged things around a bit, you could get away with just adding 10mm to the top (above the motherboard) and then sliding the ssd's up a few mm, and you'd be able to use the 60x25's on both sides. Adding .2 liters isn't ideal... but it would be worth it for better cooling.
I'm sure there are serious flaws in this (especially wrt different configurations) but if it's viable I think it would eliminate my only gripe about this case.

Also, the position of this fan is slightly odd to me. It seems like it should be closer to the riser card. Couldn't you fit two of them if you had an angle connector and the first one was up against the riser? And does it make sense to have this fan pulling air into the gpu or should it be pushing? I assumed pull since it's on the bottom.

You have some good thoughts. Personally, I've been pretty lazy about throwing a fan down there since I'm not sure it'll help my blower card in either intake or exhaust. On the CPU side, I've been satisfied with the noise and performance so far. I'll have to compare specs to see if I'd think a thicker fan would be warranted. I'm assuming they're easier to find too?

 

[grsychckn]

As a thought exercise I think I'll go ahead an make a list of some of the changes I'd like to see on the S401 - *if* I make more.

1. Mainboard standoffs need to move away from the rear to accommodate the Asus Z390-i.
2. Vent holes will be changed from hex to square or rectangular I think.
3. Migrate towards a flex slot just like the S700 for the GPU/HDD/SSD mounts. This idea might mean the number of 2.5" and 3.5" drives will go down. It may also mean though that 3-slot GPUs will be supported.
4. Officially add support for 120mm AIO units.
5. Change front panel USB adapter. I *might* remove the font panel USB support entirely (saves me about $15/case).
6. Spacers: I may decide to increase the width by about 6mm to allow built-in support for larger coolers like the IS-60 (58mm cooler support). I'd like to see if the Big Shiruken 2 can fit as well. Additional spacers could then be added but I'm not sure if they would be worthwhile (~64mm cooler support).
7. Investigate the upper fan support to perhaps add 25mm depth fans. This would allow the PSU to either shift up and provide more space for cable management or clearance for the rear of the front button.
8. Use a lower-profile front panel button.
9. Review bifurcation support.
10. Require less mounting hardware.

 

[grsychckn]

I'm assuming they're easier to find too?

60x25mm dimensions present more options for fans than the 60x15mm ones. They also tend to push more air for less noise as well.

 

[annasoh323]

As a thought exercise I think I'll go ahead an make a list of some of the changes I'd like to see on the S401 - *if* I make more.

2. Vent holes will be changed from hex to square or rectangular I think.

Interested to see how that might look. Were you doing to do it oriented flat? I'm imagining rows of squares approximately the size of the existing hexagons and am not quite enthused by it. Diamonds might be cool, though that may run too close to the criticisms of the hex pattern. If rectangles, were they going to be staggered like a brick wall?

3. Migrate towards a flex slot just like the S700 for the GPU/HDD/SSD mounts. This idea might mean the number of 2.5" and 3.5" drives will go down. It may also mean though that 3-slot GPUs will be supported.

Now this is interesting. I can't help but think that there is space being stolen out of nowhere but I'll need to review your S700 thread's pics on the flex slots. Trading those 2.5" drives for a three slot card wouldn't be my cup of tea but I could definitely see someone building a hard-core gaming rig like that (especially for those motherboards with dual m.2 slots). You might get me on the bifurcation, though. Ridiculous-mode happens when you can put a 2.5" drive stacker where the PSU goes and then replace the SFX PSU with a DC-DC solution. Hard to imagine a DC-DC solution with a 3-slot card though... Those are usually reserved for the power monsters.

5. Change front panel USB adapter. I *might* remove the font panel USB support entirely (saves me about $15/case).

I do get a lot of good use out of my front USB. It makes me wonder if there are external USB solutions that connect to the motherboard headers directly (vice hubs coming from an existing USB connection).

6. Spacers: I may decide to increase the width by about 6mm to allow built-in support for larger coolers like the IS-60 (58mm cooler support). I'd like to see if the Big Shiruken 2 can fit as well. Additional spacers could then be added but I'm not sure if they would be worthwhile (~64mm cooler support).

It seems like the holy grail of top-down coolers is the Noctua L12 family. I wonder if it would be worth it, if you really wanted to support big coolers, to develop a branch off the S400 family, say the S450. That could be your truly wider option with ~70mm coolers and three slot cards vs. the S40X which keeps to the same ~50mm coolers and dual slot cards. All contingent upon market demand, of course. I wonder if you could even do a mini S700 with a 240mm rad stuffed in front....

Sorry, I'll go back to digesting my lunch. That's a bit too much pontificating for one day...

 

[primitiveType]

Alright, I have a couple questions for you guys...
I currently have a ZALMAN CNPS8900 Quiet for my cpu cooler. I'm using spacers to make it fit. I'm curious to try the C7 since its popular in this case. Should I expect the C7 to be a lot warmer? I already idle around 60C, so I don't really have headroom.

Also, I was originally going to get the C7 CU, but apparently they aren't for sale anymore?!

 

[grsychckn]

Interested to see how that might look. Were you doing to do it oriented flat? I'm imagining rows of squares approximately the size of the existing hexagons and am not quite enthused by it. Diamonds might be cool, though that may run too close to the criticisms of the hex pattern. If rectangles, were they going to be staggered like a brick wall?


Now this is interesting. I can't help but think that there is space being stolen out of nowhere but I'll need to review your S700 thread's pics on the flex slots. Trading those 2.5" drives for a three slot card wouldn't be my cup of tea but I could definitely see someone building a hard-core gaming rig like that (especially for those motherboards with dual m.2 slots). You might get me on the bifurcation, though. Ridiculous-mode happens when you can put a 2.5" drive stacker where the PSU goes and then replace the SFX PSU with a DC-DC solution. Hard to imagine a DC-DC solution with a 3-slot card though... Those are usually reserved for the power monsters.



I do get a lot of good use out of my front USB. It makes me wonder if there are external USB solutions that connect to the motherboard headers directly (vice hubs coming from an existing USB connection).



It seems like the holy grail of top-down coolers is the Noctua L12 family. I wonder if it would be worth it, if you really wanted to support big coolers, to develop a branch off the S400 family, say the S450. That could be your truly wider option with ~70mm coolers and three slot cards vs. the S40X which keeps to the same ~50mm coolers and dual slot cards. All contingent upon market demand, of course. I wonder if you could even do a mini S700 with a 240mm rad stuffed in front....

Sorry, I'll go back to digesting my lunch. That's a bit too much pontificating for one day...

A lot to take in - but great feedback. As for the smaller/larger S-series: I feel it makes the most sense to try and make it as modular as possible so that one product can fill multiple niches. The cost of developing a chassis is outrageous and I honestly don't see myself being able to keep up this level of effort. I am going to have to scale back from here out which means prices will probably increase rather than decrease. It all depends though on demand and my ability to simplify the designs so that it works for everyone (myself included).

 

[grsychckn]

Alright, I have a couple questions for you guys...
I currently have a ZALMAN CNPS8900 Quiet for my cpu cooler. I'm using spacers to make it fit. I'm curious to try the C7 since its popular in this case. Should I expect the C7 to be a lot warmer? I already idle around 60C, so I don't really have headroom.

Also, I was originally going to get the C7 CU, but apparently they aren't for sale anymore?!

I've not used the Zalman cooler but from the specs I would expect the C7 to be a downgrade in performance. Perhaps not much of a downgrade, especially if you get the 92mm 3d-printed adapter and use the low-profile Noctua 92x14mm fan. I've found my C7 Cu (and Al) to perform very well given their size. Noise from the stock C7 fan is generally reported as loud but TBH, I use headphones when gaming so I don't really notice it otherwise.

 

[grsychckn]

Update: Cut a purple opaque set of panels - looks great!

 

[DSmithBYU]

Grsy, in light of the RTX 2060's release, it seems that EVGA's single-fan 2060 cards may not be compatible with the S401 due to the three expansion slot I/O.

 

[annasoh323]

Grsy, in light of the RTX 2060's release, it seems that EVGA's single-fan 2060 cards may not be compatible with the S401 due to the three expansion slot I/O.

"What if we take this GPU that already doesn't make sense... and build it into a card that makes even LESS sense!" - EVGA, probably

To be fair, there are cases (in my mind's eye, I'm thinking more mainstream ATX towers) that save room by truncating the front end so there isn't room to fit something like a fat CPU AIO and a long video card. So, I suppose I can see the use case.

Come to think of it, depending on the length, I could see a card like this benefiting from a flex slot setup where you have three PCIe brackets. Then, hopefully the length would support use of a drive stacker. At the end of the day, though, I suspect that SFF folks won't get much use out of this particular product.

 

[grsychckn]

"What if we take this GPU that already doesn't make sense... and build it into a card that makes even LESS sense!" - EVGA, probably

To be fair, there are cases (in my mind's eye, I'm thinking more mainstream ATX towers) that save room by truncating the front end so there isn't room to fit something like a fat CPU AIO and a long video card. So, I suppose I can see the use case.

Come to think of it, depending on the length, I could see a card like this benefiting from a flex slot setup where you have three PCIe brackets. Then, hopefully the length would support use of a drive stacker. At the end of the day, though, I suspect that SFF folks won't get much use out of this particular product.

I agree. It seems an odd choice to make this product but I'm sure there is a use case for it. I'm also quite sure there will be even smaller cards released based on the 2060 that will be more ITX-friendly. If they can do it with a Vega 56, the 2060 shouldn't even be a challenge.

 

[Sahaj]

Update: Cut a purple opaque set of panels - looks great!

Wow, the opaques look way better, in my humble opinion! Is that from your usual supplier? Which color do they call that? I was tempted to try the pearl acrylic material for mine - forgot about it until now.