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

[annasoh323]

Thank you! Quick response on my display. It’s a 32-inch Pixio 165hz (144hz Freesync) monitor and, of course, G-Sync works on Freesync displays now. More later. I may not be able to get to benchmarks until the weekend.

No problem about the benchmarks. I wonder if there's anyone that follows this thread that has mostly the same core components you do that can do a performance comparison. Granted, it won't match up exactly, but it'd be an interesting study. Still hoping to hear about the results of grsy's 9900K testing too.

 

[ff4500]

In terms of fans, I'm using "Evercool EC6015SH12BP 60mm x 15mm Hi-Speed Dual Ball Bearing PWM 4 Pin Fans" on the top capped at a very low RPM (~2300) to stay silent.

I used the same fans and have them capped at a fairly low RPM as well. Before I set the fans in the bios, they were going full blast and were quite loud. Changing the PWM settings and capping them helped quite a bit, and they feel like they're directing a decent amount of air out of the case, away from the CPU. Currently running ~55 - 60 at load with my current setup, so they must be doing something.

Right now, with two of these, a Noctua 60mm x 25mm on the bottom, a C7 Cu and a 1070 FE, the system is almost completely silent. I was going to change the stock fan on my C7 out with a Noctua or another 120mm fan with the adapter, but I can't hear the system over my desk fan on the low setting anyway, so I might just leave it as-is for now.

 

[Poblopuablo]

Prolimatech USV are relaly good, but I think they are 15mm.

 

[Piewalker]

Prolimatech USV

Unfortunately, the Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 14 poses the exact same problem as the Cryorig XT140: 120mm mounting holes. I might have to attach these to the 280 with paper clips and duct tape, rope or bubble gum. This one's for you, MacGyver! Seriously though, there's gotta be a way to attach one of these to the 280. The Prolima is 15mm and the Cryorig is 13mm. Either would work.

 

[Piewalker]

Man, I don't even know where to begin. I'm not a real benchmarking expert but could you run something like ROG RealBench? I thought that had an option for an all-system stress test. If not, then maybe run a couple of stress tests simultaneously, maybe Heaven and something CPU-related like Aida64. Gaming results look really good. What resolution/settings were you at and about how long were you playing for?

Really admirable work. Builds like this shouldn't exist, yet here you are. I think that's why I love SFF - folks like you pushing boundaries like this and making something new.

Benchmarks on S401 R7 2700X + RTX 2080 Ti Complete Custom Water-Cooled Loop

• Ryzen 7 kept at stock speed (3.7 gHz)
• RTX 2080 Ti overclocked (1995 mHz)
• Aida64 20-minute stability test
• MSI Kombuster 20-minute GPU test

AIDA64

AIDA64 Extreme system stability test for 20 minutes. ALL stress categories selected (stress CPU, FPU, cache, system memory, local disks, and stress GPU).

• Max CPU = 71C
• Max GPU = 62C

​

MSI Kombuster Stress Test (20-minute GPU test)

• Max CPU = 68C
• Max GPU = 71C—GPU maxed out at the overclocked 1995 mHz (and it can go further >2000 mHz)

Here's the brief video I took at the end of the test here to show all the fullscreen values, frames, resolution, time elapsed and thermal result.

Compare to Paul's Hardware SENTRY 2.0 Thermal Testing of an Air-cooled RTX 2080 Ti on March 26, 2019

As we all know, the SENTRY 2.0 is kind of a little brother to the Salvo S401. While not exactly the same conditions exist in both tests, my results can be compared to this Paul's Hardware episode from 3 days ago in which he tests thermals in the SENTRY 2.0, and it looks like I tested for longer. He ended up swapping out the RTX 2070 Mini ITX for an RTX 2080 Ti with stock air cooling near the end of the video, but the entire thing is interesting, especially since he considers cutting the chassis for better airflow. Watch here:


He tested the system with MSI Kombuster for what looks to be 6 to 10 minutes or so with the following result on the GPU (CPU could not be seen): GPU Max = 87C (@1590 mHz)

And in a real-world gaming test, he gets this in Apex Legends (and he was worried temps would get even worse and he was confident throttling would likely occur):
GPU Max = 82C (@1890 mHz)
CPU Max = Very Hot (he expected everything to throttle)

My Apex Legends temps hover in the low- to mid-60s C.

Conclusion

I'm quite satisfied with the results of my little S401.

 

[Cardant]

I wish I was as big as Amazon too and could afford to push around the shipping companies to make them discount their prices. As it stands, I get a 66% international discount with UPS and the prices you see on my website are as near the actual prices I pay UPS. I've not been able to ship anything internationally (over the Atlantic/Pacific) for less than $90US - and that's what I'm charged. USPS is sometimes significantly cheaper but their floor price has been a pretty consistent $75. Shipping sucks.

That's alright, depending on the sentry's price and the time I would have to wait to get it, I might juste buy yours, fuck it ...
I already have a mini-ITX motherboard and a delidded i5 8600k that can manage 5.2GHz at 1.35V (even though I probably wouldn't run that in such a tiny case) coming my way so I'm gonna need a case real quick .

 

[grsychckn]

That's alright, depending on the sentry's price and the time I would have to wait to get it, I might juste buy yours, fuck it ...
I already have a mini-ITX motherboard and a delidded i5 8600k that can manage 5.2GHz at 1.35V (even though I probably wouldn't run that in such a tiny case) coming my way so I'm gonna need a case real quick .

Another option I forgot to mention would be using a 3rd party shipper - like shipito.com. I ship to the US for $20 and then they ship to you the rest of the way for a much lower price than I can get due to their volume and use of multiple services. I've shipped using them several times and heard nothing bad (small sample set though).

 

[annasoh323]

Benchmarks on S401 R7 2700X + RTX 2080 Ti Complete Custom Water-Cooled Loop

• Ryzen 7 kept at stock speed (3.7 gHz)
• RTX 2080 Ti overclocked (1995 mHz)
• Aida64 20-minute stability test
• MSI Kombuster 20-minute GPU test

AIDA64

AIDA64 Extreme system stability test for 20 minutes. ALL stress categories selected (stress CPU, FPU, cache, system memory, local disks, and stress GPU).

• Max CPU = 71C
• Max GPU = 62C

​

MSI Kombuster Stress Test (20-minute GPU test)

• Max CPU = 68C
• Max GPU = 71C—GPU maxed out at the overclocked 1995 mHz (and it can go further >2000 mHz)

Here's the brief video I took at the end of the test here to show all the fullscreen values, frames, resolution, time elapsed and thermal result.

Compare to Paul's Hardware SENTRY 2.0 Thermal Testing of an Air-cooled RTX 2080 Ti on March 26, 2019

As we all know, the SENTRY 2.0 is kind of a little brother to the Salvo S401. While not exactly the same conditions exist in both tests, my results can be compared to this Paul's Hardware episode from 3 days ago in which he tests thermals in the SENTRY 2.0, and it looks like I tested for longer. He ended up swapping out the RTX 2070 Mini ITX for an RTX 2080 Ti with stock air cooling near the end of the video, but the entire thing is interesting, especially since he considers cutting the chassis for better airflow. Watch here:


He tested the system with MSI Kombuster for what looks to be 6 to 10 minutes or so with the following result on the GPU (CPU could not be seen): GPU Max = 87C (@1590 mHz)

And in a real-world gaming test, he gets this in Apex Legends (and he was worried temps would get even worse and he was confident throttling would likely occur):
GPU Max = 82C (@1890 mHz)
CPU Max = Very Hot (he expected everything to throttle)

My Apex Legends temps hover in the low- to mid-60s C.

Conclusion

I'm quite satisfied with the results of my little S401.

Ah, yes, I quite enjoyed Paul's video (despite the extreme proliferation of Sentry 2.0 videos) because he took the time to do those comparisons between AIO and air (though, while he presents a choice of powerful CPU or GPU, you say "both"). I will probably never run these benchmarks since Kombustor will probably do to my blower-cooler video card what it says in the name (i.e. combust).

These high performance tests are increasingly relevant for me as I wait for Ryzen 3000. More cores, more heat... but hopefully not that much more heat.

As an aside, I also hope that some enterprising soul will have both the S401 and the Sentry 2.0 and do an in-depth comparison. Configurations, temperature, performance etc. Bit out of my depth to do that testing (and out of the financial realm of possibility) but definitely hoping to see it.

 

[Cardant]

Another option I forgot to mention would be using a 3rd party shipper - like shipito.com. I ship to the US for $20 and then they ship to you the rest of the way for a much lower price than I can get due to their volume and use of multiple services. I've shipped using them several times and heard nothing bad (small sample set though).

That's actually a pretty good idea, I used this kind of service once to get something that could only be shipped to NA.

 

[Piewalker]

Ah, yes, I quite enjoyed Paul's video (despite the extreme proliferation of Sentry 2.0 videos) because he took the time to do those comparisons between AIO and air (though, while he presents a choice of powerful CPU or GPU, you say "both"). I will probably never run these benchmarks since Kombustor will probably do to my blower-cooler video card what it says in the name (i.e. combust).

These high performance tests are increasingly relevant for me as I wait for Ryzen 3000. More cores, more heat... but hopefully not that much more heat.

As an aside, I also hope that some enterprising soul will have both the S401 and the Sentry 2.0 and do an in-depth comparison. Configurations, temperature, performance etc. Bit out of my depth to do that testing (and out of the financial realm of possibility) but definitely hoping to see it.

I'm also eagerly waiting Ryzen 3000 series! I don't think there will be too much more heat. It's rumored that the IPC for the new Zen 2 chips is improved and the 7nm process keep the same performance while reducing power consumption, hence TDP will likely be in the same range as current Zen+ chips.

I don't think we need a super rigorous comparison of the Sentry 2.0 with the S401 because most of the main similarities and differences are obvious. I could probably set up a custom loop cooling both CPU+GPU in the Sentry, too, but it'd be more challenging because it's a tighter space, has a firewall divider inside that I'd probably want to rip out, and the air ventilation holes in the Sentry are way too small. As Paul said, those vents are double-edged. Although there are enough of those small ventilation holes that they probably allow adequate air supply in, the sound of any fan that's up against them is going to be very loud compared to the much more open hexagon vents of the S401.

Another very important point from Paul's video is that he felt fan cutouts on the back for the AIO would be useful, and I think cutouts or larger ventilation (like the S401 or S4MINI-type skyholes) would be welcome. I'd also like to see that in a future version of the S401—that is the same hexagon cutout pattern or some other designed cutout pattern for ventilation and airflow on the backside of both PSU and GPU areas. I think that would make the S401 even more versatile than it already is by allowing all users the flexibility to cool components in those areas in a variety of different case configurations. Water cooling still needs fans for airflow!

 

[annasoh323]

I'm also eagerly waiting Ryzen 3000 series! I don't think there will be too much more heat. It's rumored that the IPC for the new Zen 2 chips is improved and the 7nm process keep the same performance while reducing power consumption, hence TDP will likely be in the same range as current Zen+ chips.

I don't think we need a super rigorous comparison of the Sentry 2.0 with the S401 because most of the main similarities and differences are obvious. I could probably set up a custom loop cooling both CPU+GPU in the Sentry, too, but it'd be more challenging because it's a tighter space, has a firewall divider inside that I'd probably want to rip out, and the air ventilation holes in the Sentry are way too small. As Paul said, those vents are double-edged. Although there are enough of those small ventilation holes that they probably allow adequate air supply in, the sound of any fan that's up against them is going to be very loud compared to the much more open hexagon vents of the S401.

Another very important point from Paul's video is that he felt fan cutouts on the back for the AIO would be useful, and I think cutouts or larger ventilation (like the S401 or S4MINI-type skyholes) would be welcome. I'd also like to see that in a future version of the S401—that is the same hexagon cutout pattern or some other designed cutout pattern for ventilation and airflow on the backside of both PSU and GPU areas. I think that would make the S401 even more versatile than it already is by allowing all users the flexibility to cool components in those areas in a variety of different case configurations. Water cooling still needs fans for airflow!

True, cutouts would make a world of difference for airflow through the radiator. Something to consider for S402, @grsychckn? If increased AIO compatibility and capability is a planned design feature and all. I don't know if you could do it all but I'm imagining a system where you can interchangeable mounting brackets or backing plates. And, since you can already do custom side panels, you could have back vented and non-vented side panel options.
I wonder... if you used a DC-DC power supply and ITX video card, would you be able to fit a 240mm rad vertically? 2.5" drive space gets cut in half, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker. Too bad there aren't any waterblocks for ITX video cards (that I know of. Anyone know if I'm wrong?). I could see needing to expand the front panel to make that fit if the measurements don't work out. Just throwing this out there; I'm not brave enough to try a build like that.

 

[rfarmer]

@annasoh323 I recently ordered this Barrow waterblock for my Inno3d RTX 2070 X2, it is 196mm so not actually itx but still very small. I also found this block for the Zotac RTX 2070 mini. The only true itx size I could find in the RTX series was the Gigabyte RTX 2060 mini. They also have a block for the MSI GTX 1070 Aero itx and one for the Sapphire RX 56 Nano.

 

[annasoh323]

@annasoh323 I recently ordered this Barrow waterblock for my Inno3d RTX 2070 X2, it is 196mm so not actually itx but still very small. I also found this block for the Zotac RTX 2070 mini. The only true itx size I could find in the RTX series was the Gigabyte RTX 2060 mini. They also have a block for the MSI GTX 1070 Aero itx and one for the Sapphire RX 56 Nano.

Cool, I stand corrected. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[Piewalker]

@annasoh323 I recently ordered this Barrow waterblock for my Inno3d RTX 2070 X2, it is 196mm so not actually itx but still very small. I also found this block for the Zotac RTX 2070 mini. The only true itx size I could find in the RTX series was the Gigabyte RTX 2060 mini. They also have a block for the MSI GTX 1070 Aero itx and one for the Sapphire RX 56 Nano.

I need a water block for my Gigabyte RTX 2070 in my S4MINI. Still haven't seen a water block for that yet.

 

[Piewalker]

Still waiting for a water block for my Gigabyte RTX 2070 MINI ITX for my S4MINI.

 

[rfarmer]

I need a water block for my Gigabyte RTX 2070 in my S4MINI. Still haven't seen a water block for that yet.

I looked and couldn't fine one for the Gigabyte or the MSI RTX 2070, I would keep my eye on the Barrow site they have a block for the Gigabyte GTX 1080/1070 itx so they would be the best bet to do one for the 2070.

 

[grsychckn]

True, cutouts would make a world of difference for airflow through the radiator. Something to consider for S402, @grsychckn? If increased AIO compatibility and capability is a planned design feature and all. I don't know if you could do it all but I'm imagining a system where you can interchangeable mounting brackets or backing plates. And, since you can already do custom side panels, you could have back vented and non-vented side panel options.
I wonder... if you used a DC-DC power supply and ITX video card, would you be able to fit a 240mm rad vertically? 2.5" drive space gets cut in half, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker. Too bad there aren't any waterblocks for ITX video cards (that I know of. Anyone know if I'm wrong?). I could see needing to expand the front panel to make that fit if the measurements don't work out. Just throwing this out there; I'm not brave enough to try a build like that.

Yes, if I decide to build an S402 I'll plan on including vents on the now solid panel so 120mm radiators can be used.

While I'm on the subject, I've prayerfully decided that after I sell out of S401s, I'm going to take some time off from the case business. My goal would be to try and have something new this fall/winter like I did with the S401 but I'm definitely not going to have as many made. I'm getting very burnt out - it's nearly midnight and I still have orders to pack for shipping out tomorrow. I also have e-mails to answer and pictures to post but I'm too tired to do so now.

If that weren't enough, my work has been extremely stressful lately. Enough so that I lost it with my boss last week and in the 12+ years I've worked there, I've always been in better control of my emotions. Two kids, being active in my local church, and running this business on the side has taken its toll. I do intend on making another design available but as the S700 is not viable, it will probably be the S402 or S500 depending on my mood. I'm nearly sold out of S401s (have about 3 left that are packed with 10 more waiting on more parts to arrive before they are finished). Once those are gone, I'm probably going to be a little more scarce on this forum until I can get other things addressed in my life that have taken a backseat these past several months. Regardless, I'll still have the custom panels to sell, as well as some of the accessories (fans, disk stackers, spacers, etc.). Some of the accessories I don't intend on restocking though will be the Demciflex filters and removable handles as I lose money on each one of these I sell.

 

[grsychckn]

Pictures of the latest panels I've cut recently.

This wood panel is actually a sheet of luan from Lowes. I'm not currently selling these because they are more difficult to clean up after cutting.

 

[grsychckn]

Also, here are some more pictures of the i9-990k + 2080 Ti I'm building for a customer. He wanted to "Noctua all the things". Waiting on custom length PSU cables and then some cable management.

 

[annasoh323]

Also, that black panel is sick.