The space inefficiency thread

[jeshikat]

I got that Prodigy for cheap several years ago to test some mods I had in mind for a build for someone. I ended up going a different route, so it's been sitting in the closet since.

But it's a poorly designed case and I now regret having to build in it T_T

 

[Arboreal]

As I've said before, I a have no moral high ground, being the owner of a frankly enormous Evolv ITX 36L beast.
To be fair, it was given to me a few months ago by a generous friend who was emigrating to the USA, who know I was keen on ITX.
The 'inner engineer' is saying chop the midplate and squeeze an ATX rig in to make it efficient...

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Prodigy, EATX socket 2011, 3-way SLI TITANs , cpu custom loop watercooling .... Psu on the back of the motherboard.

Edit: Imgur album here

 

[onlyabloke]

Prodigy, EATX socket 2011, 3-way SLI TITANs , cpu custom loop watercooling .... Psu on the back of the motherboard.

I actually really like this. Not that I'd ever need 3 GPUs, but still.

 

[jØrd]

i guess its arguably a waste of space but i'd argue filling your computer up w/ RGB and rocks..
to each there own

 

[Arboreal]

Hmmmm... That's one way of taking up the space I guess. Still a lot of empty in there though.

Here's a favourite of my own that I have been looking for the pictures of for a while.
It's was given to me by a friend a couple of years ago who knows that I like playing with PCs. I played with it for a while and then sold it on before it annoyed me too much

ITX sized board in mATX case - Check
Plenty of room for a PSU, but use a laptop brick - Check
Room for expansion, but no expansion slots on the board - Check

All in all, a cheap solution (by using a case from the existing parts bin) to a low power desktop, but in a case at least 5x bigger than it needed to be

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh, it offends the SFF directive greatly

 

[iFreilicht]

i guess its arguably a waste of space but i'd argue filling your computer up w/ RGB and rocks..
to each there own

At least there's something in there.

Also, it's "to each they're own" jk guys, calm down

Hmmmm... That's one way of taking up the space I guess. Still a lot of empty in there though.

Here's a favourite of my own that I have been looking for the pictures of for a while.
It's was given to me by a friend a couple of years ago who knows that I like playing with PCs. I played with it for a while and then sold it on before it annoyed me too much

ITX sized board in mATX case - Check
Plenty of room for a PSU, but use a laptop brick - Check
Room for expansion, but no expansion slots on the board - Check

All in all, a cheap solution (by using a case from the existing parts bin) to a low power desktop, but in a case at least 5x bigger than it needed to be

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh, it offends the SFF directive greatly

That's some NSFL stuff.

 

[EdZ]

Hmmmm... That's one way of taking up the space I guess. Still a lot of empty in there though.

Here's a favourite of my own that I have been looking for the pictures of for a while.
It's was given to me by a friend a couple of years ago who knows that I like playing with PCs. I played with it for a while and then sold it on before it annoyed me too much

ITX sized board in mATX case - Check
Plenty of room for a PSU, but use a laptop brick - Check
Room for expansion, but no expansion slots on the board - Check

All in all, a cheap solution (by using a case from the existing parts bin) to a low power desktop, but in a case at least 5x bigger than it needed to be

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh, it offends the SFF directive greatly

Blimey! That's not just taking a barebones board and sticking it in a chassis you happen to already be producing to save costs. Someone actually had to modify an existing product to make it less functional, get it through all the required testing and validation, organise and execute a manufacturing run, and run it through a new QC process. That's premeditated space-wasting.

 

[nox]

ok, got one for you - dating back to 2005. My very own Coolermaster s4000 sx-1. 'Project tight fit' which 12 years later is quite hilariously ironic - maybe it was the beginning of me seeing the light? i don't know. If anyone knows the case, i'm not sure anything smaller than a adult elephant could be considered a tight fit... and here's the last remaining link:

http://forums.kustompcs.co.uk/threads/project-tight-fit.15022/#post-159588

it actually got a second 360 rad shortly after so i don't feel as bad as i could of...

since then i have taken plenty of medication and have seen the light

Nox

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Efficient evil within:

 

[Arboreal]

Blimey! That's not just taking a barebones board and sticking it in a chassis you happen to already be producing to save costs. Someone actually had to modify an existing product to make it less functional, get it through all the required testing and validation, organise and execute a manufacturing run, and run it through a new QC process. That's premeditated space-wasting.

The way I saw it was a standard mATX case that was made with a panel that was left unpunched for PSU and PCIe slots.
Whichever way it was, they cetrainlt planned some wasted space there.
It's not like HP don't know about SFF kit; they have form there with their (not so small) ITX Slim Pavilion range and SFF/USFF desktops which jhave been around for years.

Efficient evil within:

And the price to you, "One Beeeeeeeeeelllliiiiiiiiion Dollars" We're all about MiniMe round here!

 

[confusis]

Hmmmm... That's one way of taking up the space I guess. Still a lot of empty in there though.

Here's a favourite of my own that I have been looking for the pictures of for a while.
It's was given to me by a friend a couple of years ago who knows that I like playing with PCs. I played with it for a while and then sold it on before it annoyed me too much

ITX sized board in mATX case - Check
Plenty of room for a PSU, but use a laptop brick - Check
Room for expansion, but no expansion slots on the board - Check

All in all, a cheap solution (by using a case from the existing parts bin) to a low power desktop, but in a case at least 5x bigger than it needed to be

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh, it offends the SFF directive greatly

I came across this one here: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/the-space-inefficiency-thread.471/page-4#post-20677

I still use the board as a quick board to spin up for projects

 

[iFreilicht]

That's not just taking a barebones board and sticking it in a chassis you happen to already be producing to save costs. Someone actually had to modify an existing product to make it less functional

Actually, now that you're talking about it, it looks like a chassis that isn't fully manufactured. It's taken off the line before they put the PCIe slots in and gets a cover for the PSU hole, done. So I guess the idea is to make the case itself as cheap as possible (probably costs a few bucks per unit) by using the same one no matter what the PC should do. An external power brick is probably cheaper as well, especially with such low power consumption.

 

[Arboreal]

I came across this one here: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/the-space-inefficiency-thread.471/page-4#post-20677

I still use the board as a quick board to spin up for projects

@confusis I thought that I'd read all the 'SI' thread, but managed to miss your HP machine similar to mine.
Interesting that you kept the innards, I found it interesting for a while to run Win 8 on, but it was pretty feeble.
What I have got however, is another similar HP "waste of space board", which is more powerful; it's H61 running an i3 2120T.
I also use it as a lightweight test rig, and keep meaning to put a case round it.
Like the original AMD version, there's no slots, yet its BIGGER than ITX - looks like mDTX size; so another waste of space, seeing as thin ITX has the ability to do power handling and distribution in a standard sized board.
It runs from a power brick too, and I think of it as my "NUC on steroids" (sadly without built in wireless, USB 3.0 or mSATA )

I'll post a pic when I can dig one out...

Actually, now that you're talking about it, it looks like a chassis that isn't fully manufactured. It's taken off the line before they put the PCIe slots in and gets a cover for the PSU hole, done. So I guess the idea is to make the case itself as cheap as possible (probably costs a few bucks per unit) by using the same one no matter what the PC should do. An external power brick is probably cheaper as well, especially with such low power consumption.

I agree, and mentioned that aspect about the case a few posts up. I guess it's a standard power brick from their laptop range, so can be picked from stock.

 

[confusis]

I only run linux on the board since it's so feeble THe E-450 is a pretty weaksauce APU :/

 

[BirdofPrey]

Prodigy, EATX socket 2011, 3-way SLI TITANs , cpu custom loop watercooling .... Psu on the back of the motherboard.

Edit: Imgur album here

Wrong thread bud.
This is the space INEFFICIENCY thread.

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Wrong thread bud.
This is the space INEFFICIENCY thread.

Yup, that was to show that even the Prodigy can be efficient for some work

 

[|||]

Point and laugh time

 

[Phuncz]

Well, it seems like the most efficient 'inefficient' case in the topic (should that become an award series ?). It has more than one GPU and I can't fit my head inside anymore, which are two of my own criteria. And the modding is well done, except for the random green accents.

 

[|||]

So by your measures, having a simple water tube or two blocking off a large area from sticking your head into makes it efficient? I personally do not count water cooling components or cables...those are things that should be routed around components in the (hopefully) small spaces between them.