Production S700: Salvo Studios <23L ATX Steel Watercooled Unibody Chassis

[grsychckn]

I'm hoping final costs won't come out too much more than about $300 or so!

Will there be options for metal side panels or is acrylic the prefered option?

Sorry, I thought I had replied to this but I guess I forgot to hit submit.

I'm not currently considering producing metal side panels but if needed, I should be able to produce my own since I'll have a plasma cutter. Any steel panels I produce will just be flat steel as I have no machines to hem the edges. I should be able to powder coat them though. Otherwise, I'm planning on acrylic being the standard side panel material.

 

[grsychckn]

However, what should be the recommended airflow pattern? Front intake and uper outake? Dual out? Dual in?

Front intake, upper exhaust is the intended flow pattern.

Also, looking at the renders, would it be possible to mount a reservoir (flat or not) in vertical position at the left of the PSU? That could help both draining and bleeding the loop.

One of my goals is to see if a DDC pump can be mounted behind the PSU in the vertical orientation. That way, you could perhaps install a > 120mm tall reservoir depending on what devices you install above the PSU. I'll try to update here when I get closer to submitting for the prototype.

 

[grsychckn]

Also, sorry for the lack of updates. I've been swamped with life lately. Almost every spare minute I have is spent working on orders for the S402, cutting acrylic panels, or communicating with customers.

I'm going to have to schedule a day to sit down and muscle through the S700 design so I can get it submitted to the machine shop. The unfortunate part is that I don't have much PTO to afford taking a day off with the holidays approaching. Regardless, I'm getting frustrated enough to do it regardless.

On another note, I'm going to be strapped for funds until the end of the year. I'm guessing I'll have enough to get the prototype made, but definitely not enough to submit for a bulk production order. A large sum of my funds are going to be tied up for a few years with an investment into a friend's small business startup. Once the new year rolls around, I'll have less tax concerns so I should be able to get moving quickly on the S700 early in the year. Assuming I get the prototype nailed on the first or second revision, I should be able to submit for production within a week after the year starts.

 

[duynguyenle]

Sorry, I thought I had replied to this but I guess I forgot to hit submit.

I'm not currently considering producing metal side panels but if needed, I should be able to produce my own since I'll have a plasma cutter. Any steel panels I produce will just be flat steel as I have no machines to hem the edges. I should be able to powder coat them though. Otherwise, I'm planning on acrylic being the standard side panel material.

Thanks for the reply, I usually don't prefer acrylic because somehow I always manage to scratch them no matter how careful. I'd pay extra to have metal panels! Just something like the S402 side panels would be really great!

Will you be able to make them with perforations?

 

[grsychckn]

Thanks for the reply, I usually don't prefer acrylic because somehow I always manage to scratch them no matter how careful. I'd pay extra to have metal panels! Just something like the S402 side panels would be really great!

Will you be able to make them with perforations?

Yes, I should be able to fabricate them with vent patterns but I'm unsure how the material would react since I've never done it before. My only concern is whether or not the steel would warp such that the resulting panel is unusable.

I could also make wood but TBH, the satin/matte acrylic finished sheets are very scratch resistant.

 

[Vacceo]

There is a glasswork shop in my very street so chances are I will comtact them to get the case in tempered glass. Not that I dislike acrylic, but scratch resistance is a nice extra.

Well, nice way to start 2021. That means a bit more than I expected, but in turns, means a bit more cash for hardware.

 

[Retrias]

So the S700 would be CWC focused ? SInce you are only going for 2 slot support on the gpu side

 

[grsychckn]

So the S700 would be CWC focused ? SInce you are only going for 2 slot support on the gpu side

Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with CWC as an acronym. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you're asking about what cooling the S700 is designed to use. My goal the entire time was to stick with an open loop design. Use your own pump, reservoir, radiator, tubing, etc. Some closed loop components may be compatible, but I genuinely worry that CLCs will be incompatible because of the tray in the middle of the chassis. The tubes would have to be routed over the tray and inevitably would have some pressure exerted on them from either the mainboard or the tray itself. I have some CLCs at home that I can test but I'll need the prototype to be sure.

Let me know if this does not answer your question.

 

[Retrias]

Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with CWC as an acronym. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you're asking about what cooling the S700 is designed to use. My goal the entire time was to stick with an open loop design. Use your own pump, reservoir, radiator, tubing, etc. Some closed loop components may be compatible, but I genuinely worry that CLCs will be incompatible because of the tray in the middle of the chassis. The tubes would have to be routed over the tray and inevitably would have some pressure exerted on them from either the mainboard or the tray itself. I have some CLCs at home that I can test but I'll need the prototype to be sure.

Let me know if this does not answer your question.

thanks for the answer , this answers my question. CWC is CLC, i guess its a pretty strange way to say it. I will consider the case whenever I want to go for a custom loop build

 

[Kit]

CWC = Custom water cooling/er
CLC = Closed loop cooling/er

at least thats my understanding

 

[Retrias]

I will try to use the more common terminology from now on, but grsychckn have answered the question, but what I asked is basically custom water cooling. Currently looking at EK quick disconnects tube to see the easiest method to configure a loop

 

[grsychckn]

I will try to use the more common terminology from now on, but grsychckn have answered the question, but what I asked is basically custom water cooling. Currently looking at EK quick disconnects tube to see the easiest method to configure a loop

I don't know what's more common, but thanks to @Kit, we both learned something! If you would like help when the time comes to prepare for your build, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'm not a watercooling maestro, but I have built a few systems and currently am planning another dual Epyc build.

 

[Vacceo]

I don't know what's more common, but thanks to @Kit, we both learned something! If you would like help when the time comes to prepare for your build, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'm not a watercooling maestro, but I have built a few systems and currently am planning another dual Epyc build.

This case is, as you have stated, meant to be able to move a server-level CPU. I just have watercooled a pc a couple times so my take is that a couple 280 30mm rads (actually one of them thicker, as in 56mm) should be plenty to cool off a mobo, an 8 core (or more) CPU and a GPU with a TDP of 350W, right?

 

[Retrias]

I don't know what's more common, but thanks to @Kit, we both learned something! If you would like help when the time comes to prepare for your build, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'm not a watercooling maestro, but I have built a few systems and currently am planning another dual Epyc build.

Really grateful for the offer, as this is an "SFF" case nobody can explain the best part compatibility besides the case maker himself. The only reason why I havent tried open loop is prolly how hard it is to upgrade or swap out parts

 

[grsychckn]

Really grateful for the offer, as this is an "SFF" case nobody can explain the best part compatibility besides the case maker himself. The only reason why I havent tried open loop is prolly how hard it is to upgrade or swap out parts

It certainly is not as easy as swapping out parts in an air-cooled/CLC build. However, it often is quieter and depending on your personality, you may find it very rewarding. BTW, I'm not a watercooling expert but I have built a few systems in my time.

Also, I think the design is ready for prototyping so I'll begin the documentation process soon so I have something to deliver to the fabricators for estimates. At that time, I'll know with good accuracy my expected cost and subsequent price point I need to sell it.

 

[Vacceo]

It certainly is not as easy as swapping out parts in an air-cooled/CLC build. However, it often is quieter and depending on your personality, you may find it very rewarding. BTW, I'm not a watercooling expert but I have built a few systems in my time.

Also, I think the design is ready for prototyping so I'll begin the documentation process soon so I have something to deliver to the fabricators for estimates. At that time, I'll know with good accuracy my expected cost and subsequent price point I need to sell it.

This year Santa will come not from the north but from the west!

It will be nice to know that no matter what happens to the Big Navi/30 series GPU/Ryzen 5000 series, I will squeeze the last bit of performance.

 

[grsychckn]

Submitted an RFQ today for the S700. I am hoping to receive the response sometime early next week.

 

[Vacceo]

Those are excellent news! Also, a quick question: will the case include a PCIe 4.0 extension?

 

[grsychckn]

Those are excellent news! Also, a quick question: will the case include a PCIe 4.0 extension?

I designed the mounts to be slightly different such that it could support the Li-Heat cables or the LinkUp cables. So while I don't know which one I'll include (or provide an upgrade option for), the S700 should support both 3.0 and 4.0 gen risers that are currently on the market.

 

[grsychckn]

Quote came back and looks good. I'm moving forward with the prototype after I provide them with one more revision for very minor changes. The fabricator has a 5-6 week lead time and I have to absorb the cost of some of the fasteners as they have a minimum order quantity.