Hey gang,
First of all, thank you so much for this awesome forum.
My favourite case right now is the LZ7.
It's my favourite layout, and it really is the smallest you can go with PSU inside.
I love the look of Lone Industries L4, but I would have loved to have an SFX PSU in there.
I love the build quality, and the philosophy of the S4 mini, but I need something just a little bit bigger.
What I want to include in my case are;
- Mini-ITX motherboard
- Zotac 1080ti
- SFX / SFX-L PSU
- Decent height CPU cooler
- good ventilation (hopefully...)
I originally started the design with the same layout as LZ7, wanting to make the case just a little bit bigger to accommodate my needs.
But I decided to lay everything flat by bringing the PSU down to the side, essentially making the LZ7 a bit wider.
It created a lot more room for CPU cooler, and I was able to add 2 80mm fans above the I/O shield.
Now, the design of this case was inspired by many things, and one of them is a Japanese company, Abee.
Their cubic cases had a super minimalist look which I liked.
But it looked like the ventilation of that case was pretty poor, almost non-existent.
The challenge was to create at least some kind of airflow without disturbing the minimalist design.
So, I decided to offset the case facets a little bit.
Having a small gap between the panels will help the hot air to escape.
Also, another big factor here was the U shell preset from Protocase.
I have 3 different ideas, and the differences are subtle.
Concept 1 has a protruding front. You will see an L shape front jutting out.
Concept 2 has overhanging sides. It's like a roof.
Concept 3 is a combination of both, and as close to the original idea I had.
This design will give some room for PSU, GPU to blow air out through the side, and will allow the case fans to blow out to the front.
By the nature of its design, the weakness of this case are;
Very poor ventilation - This will need the most time to tweak and fine tune.
No dust filter - I think blowing air outwards will at least help a little.
No sound insulation - Perhaps I can add some dampening material inside?
Hot operating temperature - I have no idea what it will be.
I did think about having a radiator-like inside like some HTPC cases, but it's gonna be too expensive.
I can see this case with a smooth, thick panel, weighing hefty when you lift it, having a presence on my desk, or in my living room. Two tone black and silver, black and white, all black, or all metal finish.
I can only dream!
I'll try my best to bring this to reality.
I'm totally open for your suggestions and feedback.
My plan is to make a prototype, most likely with the Protocase guys, and make a few more if there is a demand.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and thanks again for this awesome community!
First of all, thank you so much for this awesome forum.
My favourite case right now is the LZ7.
It's my favourite layout, and it really is the smallest you can go with PSU inside.
I love the look of Lone Industries L4, but I would have loved to have an SFX PSU in there.
I love the build quality, and the philosophy of the S4 mini, but I need something just a little bit bigger.
What I want to include in my case are;
- Mini-ITX motherboard
- Zotac 1080ti
- SFX / SFX-L PSU
- Decent height CPU cooler
- good ventilation (hopefully...)
I originally started the design with the same layout as LZ7, wanting to make the case just a little bit bigger to accommodate my needs.
But I decided to lay everything flat by bringing the PSU down to the side, essentially making the LZ7 a bit wider.
It created a lot more room for CPU cooler, and I was able to add 2 80mm fans above the I/O shield.
Now, the design of this case was inspired by many things, and one of them is a Japanese company, Abee.
Their cubic cases had a super minimalist look which I liked.
But it looked like the ventilation of that case was pretty poor, almost non-existent.
The challenge was to create at least some kind of airflow without disturbing the minimalist design.
So, I decided to offset the case facets a little bit.
Having a small gap between the panels will help the hot air to escape.
Also, another big factor here was the U shell preset from Protocase.
I have 3 different ideas, and the differences are subtle.
Concept 1 has a protruding front. You will see an L shape front jutting out.
Concept 2 has overhanging sides. It's like a roof.
Concept 3 is a combination of both, and as close to the original idea I had.
This design will give some room for PSU, GPU to blow air out through the side, and will allow the case fans to blow out to the front.
By the nature of its design, the weakness of this case are;
Very poor ventilation - This will need the most time to tweak and fine tune.
No dust filter - I think blowing air outwards will at least help a little.
No sound insulation - Perhaps I can add some dampening material inside?
Hot operating temperature - I have no idea what it will be.
I did think about having a radiator-like inside like some HTPC cases, but it's gonna be too expensive.
I can see this case with a smooth, thick panel, weighing hefty when you lift it, having a presence on my desk, or in my living room. Two tone black and silver, black and white, all black, or all metal finish.
I can only dream!
I'll try my best to bring this to reality.
I'm totally open for your suggestions and feedback.
My plan is to make a prototype, most likely with the Protocase guys, and make a few more if there is a demand.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and thanks again for this awesome community!