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

[annasoh323]

Fantastic reply, thanks much! Checked out your PCPP piece as well.

One last one, if I may : does the GPU not sag a bit? You can kinda see it in his earlier photo with the RX580...I wonder if a small spacer made of dense foam would help?

Since you're staging it horizontally, it may sag a bit. A piece of something between your SSDs and your backplate may not be a bad thing. Not too sure since I've never mounted a video card that way before.

 

[Zephyraeon]

What are the weight and dimensions of the shipping box? Really tempted to order one especially with the current sale but shipping to AU is $110USD Want to see if using a US proxy would be a feasible alternative.

EDIT: Also would be interested in the IS-60 + spacer bundle and 2 60mm fans if there are some left.

 

[KidWeaBoo]

Will a scythe big shuriken 2 fit with the spacers?

 

[Ichiban]

Merry Christmas eveyone, S401 for $130 is a STEAL.

By the way, which direction do the top two fans go? Vent or Intake? I feel like if it was intake it would help cool the cpu powerphases?

 

[Ichiban]

The build began yesterday, I had a full recording of it but the damn Gopro died half way into it when I was trying to figureout how come the C7 backing plate wouldn't go on properly.... Turns out it needed to be "broken-in"...

 

[annasoh323]

Will a scythe big shuriken 2 fit with the spacers?

I can't say for certain but I think the answer is no. By the numbers, a Shuriken is 58mm tall. The S401's 52mm height + ~5-6mm extra from the spacer juuuuust edges that out. Your fan could be rubbing. Per earlier posts, your best bet for max clearance is to use the steel panels since they bulge out ever so slightly from the edge bending. Anecdotally, my previous setup was a C7 + 25mm Noctua which was a close shave in my RVZ02. I had to come down from that since the 25mm couldn't fit per @grsychckn's testing, even with the spacers. I think it might still be a worthwhile experiment but definitely have a backup plan in mind if you do.

By the way, which direction do the top two fans go? Vent or Intake? I feel like if it was intake it would help cool the cpu powerphases?

Personally, I roll with them as exhaust. I have my C7 fins oriented vertically, that is, they are parallel to the RAM sticks and thus the top-down fan airflow comes from outside the case, into the fins, and then comes out above and below the cooler toward the top vent and the video card. Thus, I use the 60mm fans to create a zone of low pressure right above the cooler to encourage the hot air to leave the case. If I had them the other way, they'd be fighting the CPU cooler. There was a post a while back where the fans in various configs were tested. I believe exhaust on the CPU side was the best while the bottom fan didn't do much (for a blower card. I think exhaust for an open card on the bottom helped a little more though.)

 

[Ichiban]

That's enough for me tonight, will clean up the cable management tomorrow and try to find a way to add LEDs.

Brian does something on the left look familiar? The one on the left is my main rig.

 

[grsychckn]

Ok - at that price, I'll almost surely bite! Just a couple more questions, if I may... The rest will sort itself out, I'm sure.

1. Actually, that RX580 of yours is perfect as a specimen : roughly the same tdp as a 1070Ti or 1080 (close enough, anyway) and the same cooler. I know this is wholly subjective, but - how does the card sound, under load? (Sorry - forgot to say, that I was talking about silence under load, inasmuch as that's possible in an sff build...). Understand that there's no real separation between me and the components in your enclosure but I'm ok with that - plenty of components sound just fine open air to me (my Be Quiet fans, the L9i, etc) so not too worried about that, assuming the components in question is quiet to begin with;

2. With an SF450 and one of those Gaming X or Titanium cards (really leaning towards the 1070Ti Titanium), confirm I'll have room for my 2 x 2.5" 860 Evo's?

Barring an answer to that, I think you have yourself a customer! Thanks!

1. What GPU do you have now? Most likely, it will sound similar to your existing GPU with the side panel off. I can't really tell you how loud it will be under load. It all really depends on the GPU. If you checked reviews of the specific ones you're looking at, they should have noise graphs that would give you an idea compared to other units.

2. Yes, you will have enough room for 2 x 2.5" 860 Evo drives.

 

[grsychckn]

Hey, I have recently heard about the S401 and I am quite impressed by the work you have done. I think I am in love with everything, except just one issue... It looks like a widened bee hive, and I can not get over that no matter how hard I try. I know the S401 is the successor of the S400. It's better in many ways. However, the S400 looks amazing to me and I am more than willing that have that on my desk. Will you ever make an S402 that will be the best of both worlds? I am sure I am not the only who is this strongly turned off by the aesthetics.

I still love your product and wish you the best success with it. You deserve it. Hope you are enjoying your holidays too =)

I wish I had actually gotten some feedback on just how polarizing that vent pattern is. I can't say if I'm going to make the S402 but I will change the vent pattern if I do. That said, I think I need to review my business model because I am lucky to break even on each unit sold again (same with S400 even though not as bad). I can't continue making cases and paying people to buy them.

I will not encourage you to buy something you'll eventually regret, but I would throw out that with the large Demciflex filter installed it covers a lot of the hexagon vent holes.

Edit: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well!

 

[grsychckn]

Fantastic reply, thanks much! Checked out your PCPP piece as well.

One last one, if I may : does the GPU not sag a bit? You can kinda see it in his earlier photo with the RX580...I wonder if a small spacer made of dense foam would help?

That GPU is actually a used GPU off Ebay. I'm not entirely sure that it didn't already have some sag or that the the photograph makes it look like it's angled. Either way, when laying horizontally it's possible a non-conductive support would be a good idea. There is just under 1" of space below the GPU so if the support is flexible/compressible it should work well. If the S401 is oriented vertically, I wouldn't worry about GPU sag.

 

[grsychckn]

What are the weight and dimensions of the shipping box? Really tempted to order one especially with the current sale but shipping to AU is $110USD Want to see if using a US proxy would be a feasible alternative.

EDIT: Also would be interested in the IS-60 + spacer bundle and 2 60mm fans if there are some left.

The shipping weight for just the S401 is 10lbs. The box size is 18" x 16" x 6". I do still have 1 or 2 IS-60s and a few spacers left. The IS-60 with spacers will bring the weight up to 11.5 lbs.

 

[grsychckn]

Will a scythe big shuriken 2 fit with the spacers?

Unfortunately not. The ID-Cooling IS-60 will fit however. I do have 1 or 2 IS-60s left that I'm selling for $35 each.

 

[grsychckn]

Merry Christmas eveyone, S401 for $130 is a STEAL.

By the way, which direction do the top two fans go? Vent or Intake? I feel like if it was intake it would help cool the cpu powerphases?

I would orient them as exhaust if the S401 is oriented vertically with the GPU on the bottom. If the GPU is on the top I would actually configure them as intake to pull in cool air. In my testing with the CPU on top, orienting them as exhaust was more effective than as intake. I have not run tests with the GPU on top.

 

[grsychckn]

That's enough for me tonight, will clean up the cable management tomorrow and try to find a way to add LEDs.

Brian does something on the left look familiar? The one on the left is my main rig.

Yes - what a monster. That was a big reason why I started designing the S400. It wasn't the primary reason, but once I saw how much smaller I could get my footprint I was sold that it was a good decision.

BTW, with your chassis you can still order custom side panels so long as they aren't transparent. There are solid colors and even mirrored options that would still work for you. Send me an e-mail if you ever decide to get some.

 

[SilverJS]

1. What GPU do you have now? Most likely, it will sound similar to your existing GPU with the side panel off. I can't really tell you how loud it will be under load. It all really depends on the GPU. If you checked reviews of the specific ones you're looking at, they should have noise graphs that would give you an idea compared to other units.

I have a Zotac 1070 Mini right now, and that's part of the reason I want your case, to be able to use larger GPU's for reduced noise. (The other, for reference, is to be able to use off-the-shelf power supply components.). I was asking about that rx580 of yours because I've read that particular cooler is quite silent - in fact, I'm almost certainly going to get an MSI 1070 Ti with it (in either the Gaming X or Titanium flavors). That's why I was curious to hear your aural impressions of that cooler, in the S401.

 

[grsychckn]

I have a Zotac 1070 Mini right now, and that's part of the reason I want your case, to be able to use larger GPU's for reduced noise. (The other, for reference, is to be able to use off-the-shelf power supply components.). I was asking about that rx580 of yours because I've read that particular cooler is quite silent - in fact, I'm almost certainly going to get an MSI 1070 Ti with it (in either the Gaming X or Titanium flavors). That's why I was curious to hear your aural impressions of that cooler, in the S401.

I only had it in my build for test-fitting. To be honest, I only tried to use it right after I received it and then the drivers wouldn't install. I'm afraid there might be a problem with it. I can say though that before I tried installing drivers it was very quiet. If it's quieter than the blower fan design it will silent at idle. Under load, I can speak to. If I have some time on my hands I may try it again, but I don't seem to have too much extra time anymore.

 

[SilverJS]

@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!

 

[SilverJS]

I only had it in my build for test-fitting. To be honest, I only tried to use it right after I received it and then the drivers wouldn't install. I'm afraid there might be a problem with it. I can say though that before I tried installing drivers it was very quiet. If it's quieter than the blower fan design it will silent at idle. Under load, I can speak to. If I have some time on my hands I may try it again, but I don't seem to have too much extra time anymore.

Don't worry about it, you've much better things to do. .Enjoy Christmas!

 

[AndrewC]

Hey all,

I recently put together a new build and went ITX for the first time. I'm happy about how it turned out, but have decided I would like something more portable. Here is what I am running now (https://pcpartpicker.com/list/j9rHjy):


Asus - ROG Strix B450-I Gaming Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard
AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor
Noctua - NH-L9a-AM4 33.84 CFM CPU Cooler
G.Skill - Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory
Samsung - 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti BLACK EDITION GAMING, 11G-P4-2281-KR
Corsair - RMx (2018) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Noctua - NF-A12x25 PWM 60.1 CFM 120mm Fan

Other than the power supply, anything in the part list that would preclude me from just transplanting from my current case into a s401? Any recommendations on the power supply / cables that would work best? Thanks!

 

[Ichiban]

I have a Zotac 1070 Mini right now, and that's part of the reason I want your case, to be able to use larger GPU's for reduced noise. (The other, for reference, is to be able to use off-the-shelf power supply components.). I was asking about that rx580 of yours because I've read that particular cooler is quite silent - in fact, I'm almost certainly going to get an MSI 1070 Ti with it (in either the Gaming X or Titanium flavors). That's why I was curious to hear your aural impressions of that cooler, in the S401.

Did you not see my photo up top? Its a 1070 mini.