UniQ-1 :: 11.2L mini-ITX - Uniquely Air-Cooled - Truely Silent - High Performance Case
Case panels view with PC-stack inside
Case Skeleton and Sample Front Plates. ** Green/Red GPU mounting mechanism, ** Blue - SSD mounting brackets
V2B-The Dark Tower design
A couple of weeks ago I started a thread to document my experimental mini-ITX builds where the aim was for a completely silent PC with no performance compromise (using high-end components i7-8086k & RTX 2080 Ti).
The concept was to use high TDP CPU cooler to cool the GPU in a unique stacked formation/orientation that makes airflow and cooling efficient. Efficiency in airflow greatly reduces the need for high fan speed rpm to keep the components cool while being very quiet.
Here's a link to the thread if you want to look at the details in my experiments.
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/mini-itx-build-with-noctua-d15-performance-gaming-pc.9833/
From there, you'll get a much better understanding of my motivations plus design choices and considerations.
The result is UniQ-1, a 11.2L (7"x7.5"x13") case that not only house the very unique mini-ITX build that is very unorthodox from the norms yet very efficient in the use of space, but also able to support the various conventional builds.
Components support:
Motherboard: mini-ITX
GPU : Up to 300mm
SSD/HDD : 1 HDD, or 2 SSD, or 1 HDD & 1 SSD
PSU : SFX/SFX-L
Air Coolers : As large as Noctua NH-D15, C-14s, Dark Rock Pro, Dark Rock TF, etcs
AIO Cooler : 120mm, 140mm, 240mm (maybe)
The design:
The objective of the design was to use large heatsinks for both GPU and CPU, and later expanded to use AIO's. Because of how efficient these heatsink are at cooling the components, fan speed can be very low ( 30% - 120/140mm fans), and together with an open-air vent enclosure, yields a very silent PC with zero compromise in performance.
GPU Mounting brackets
The GPU is vertically mounted and is facing the motherboard (opposite of convention mounting), using a folded pcie riser cable. I have designed a bracket so that GPU can be mounted vertically and can be shifted vertically and horizontally. This is done because GPU can have different mounting holes and it directly dictates how the GPU heat sink can be stacked or placed with the CPU coolers. The brackets I have here can be pivot left/right via the slider, and screwed straight into the legs of the chassis, it's not shown here but there will be various holes/screwing points to allow for different vertical mounting position of the green plate. The vertical mounting point on the leg is not a slider (for now) to make sure the mounting is sturdy on the vertical junctions.
The case allows for easy removal of the side/top panels and front plate. The top plate is especially useful to remove quickly to gain access to the GPU outputs.
The temps I'm getting is around 55-60C for CPU & ~55C RTX 2080 Ti (OC'ed) & ~45C GTX 1080 Ti (OC'ed), under full gaming load. This is all done while the fan speed never goes past 40%, making the rig technically silent in operation. More thermal studies will be done with the actual case later. I suspect it could raise the GPU temps by 5-10C.
This is my first draft of the case with my intention to allow for better supports with various components and not just the ones that I have tested. I haven't finalized the design of the front plate, but with the current infrastructure of a panel system, all the panels (including the front plate) can be replaced with different design/material.
Note that the case was first designed for my unique stacked tower builds, but the sides can be modified with brackets to allow for full AIO supports that can be mounted front, side, or rear. This is for those that want to start out with AIO's that they already own and not want to invest in expensive air coolers such as the Noctua-D15/DarkRockPro4 or Nocuta-C14s/DarkRockTF.
My main goal is to design a case for myself but I've got many requests to commercialize this product for public consumption so this is my attempt at designing a case that could be used not only with my design but just about anything that's available out there. My first hope is this case will allow people to join in and hop on my innovation in PC design in contrast to the more conventional (abeit outdated ATX platform).
Keep your mind free and never stop challenging the norms!
**Please reply to the discussion to help me improve the design that works for the general audience. I will monitor the interest base on activities to decide if I want to pursue a large order from a case manufacturer.
Update #1 - Using non-moded GPU & 120mm AIO
Non-Modded 3-slots GPU & 120mm and 240mm rad AIOs for CPU
It seems there are a lot of interest in using this case with non-modded GPU. Although this is not the case designed purpose, there's no reason it wouldn't work! So I mock up some models and this is one of many ways you can use non-modded parts with this case. I'm going with the extreme and use a 3-slot GPU (real dimensions) in this mock to demonstrate how much room is there to accommodate "normal" components. Given that front, right side, and rear are open air space, you can practically mount the 120/2400mm rad anywhere. This is just one example.
Update #2 - Modular T-sandwich layout
T-bracket Addon : For sandwich layout
Someone mention the word "modular" somewhere in the post yesterday and it got my juice flowing. Here's my take on modulating my case to include a T-backet addon that can me mounted to the base frame of the case to allow for the sandwich layout that made popular by Dan A4 and similar case. This is definitely a deviation away from my original layout, and don't get me wrong, that's still the top priority. Hence this is why I call this an addon or expansion.
I believe with a simple addon like this it will allow the case to be very versatile. Not only will it house my original stacked design, but also able to allow for more traditional and modern placement of components for those who don't want to attempt modding their GPUs.
THe T-layout is not final, it's just one configuration that I came up with, it can be refined.
In the above picture, the case is now laying sideways. the top mounted 120mm fan is use as intake and the C-style (C-14s or Dark Rock Pro TF) will exhaust the air out to the front. I also show how a 120mm AIO can be mounted, this can be used either for the CPU or GPU (kraken G12 or hybrids). The PSU is mounted at the bottom of the case and connector will be extended to the back. 2 SSD can be mounted righ above the PSU directly to the new T-bracket.
The "divider" is currently placed this way to house a 110mm tall CPU cooler (the Dark Rock Pro TF is used as an example). And there's still space left over for a full size GPU with a maximum length of 330mm.
As for side panels, a few of them can be re-used (maybe 5?) from the original orientation. The old bottom panel will be replaced with the T bracket (in reference to the new design) since it needs cutout for the mobo and gpu mounted back-to-back.
I hope this makes sense and this can add another layer to original case design.
Update #3 - Pseudo prototype
Got some free time tonight so I went to home depot and grab some cheap materials to build a prototype case. Not a "real" aluminum prototype but one made out of wood/aluminum angle to house my V2-b. I'm most interested in making sure that the pcie bracket works as I have imagined.
Not quiet done yet, but hopefully I'll complete and test the bracket in the new few days. Will update when I'm done!
Update #4 - Sandwich Addon - Configuration Testing
I wanted to test the Sandwich layout to see if it's really compatible with my modular framed case design. And I'm glad to say that I've got some things worked out for proof of concept and here are some pics:
Couple things that I was considering:
1) the divider in the middle can be moved or changed so that you can prioritize using different cooling method. Some people might want to use accelero/morpheus coolers with regular sized fan, that would take up 3-4 pcie slots (like ncase m1 does), and they can do that by moving the divider more toward the middle, and there's still space for the CPU to use a slim cooler or an AIO.
2) It was important for me to allow for this to happen without changing the design of the original case frame so I can still build the stacked rig with this case. Afterall, the sandwich layout is an addon/accessories and not the main focus.
3) Re-usable panels from the original case design so that only the "top" panel needs to be swapped out since that would be where the I/O would come out in the horizontal/sandwich position.
4) In the pics above, I wanted to showcase what I'd say the most optimized config for the Sandwich layout. Air-cooled CPU & Hybrid (Kraken g12) AIO cooled GPU. It will fit a C14-s (115mm tall 225 TDP cooler!), no longer will you need to resort to "slim" design, I think this will be especially useful for those that want to go for high-end i9-9900k or Ryzen threadripper builds. And with a Kraken G12 or hybrid CPU, there's space above the SFX/SFX-L PSU that can house a 120mm rad and fan. The push/pull 120mm mastercooler aio is placed there to show that there's plenty of room for the AIO coolers. It can be used for either the CPU or GPU.
I did put a lot of work into making this work as it wasn't as easy to allow for modulation of so many different builds without adding more volume or major changes to the case frame. These prototype aren't perfect but they help give me an idea of what works and what doesn't when it comes to actually trying to stitch all the small designs together.
Case panels view with PC-stack inside
Case Skeleton and Sample Front Plates. ** Green/Red GPU mounting mechanism, ** Blue - SSD mounting brackets
V2B-The Dark Tower design
A couple of weeks ago I started a thread to document my experimental mini-ITX builds where the aim was for a completely silent PC with no performance compromise (using high-end components i7-8086k & RTX 2080 Ti).
The concept was to use high TDP CPU cooler to cool the GPU in a unique stacked formation/orientation that makes airflow and cooling efficient. Efficiency in airflow greatly reduces the need for high fan speed rpm to keep the components cool while being very quiet.
Here's a link to the thread if you want to look at the details in my experiments.
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/mini-itx-build-with-noctua-d15-performance-gaming-pc.9833/
From there, you'll get a much better understanding of my motivations plus design choices and considerations.
The result is UniQ-1, a 11.2L (7"x7.5"x13") case that not only house the very unique mini-ITX build that is very unorthodox from the norms yet very efficient in the use of space, but also able to support the various conventional builds.
Components support:
Motherboard: mini-ITX
GPU : Up to 300mm
SSD/HDD : 1 HDD, or 2 SSD, or 1 HDD & 1 SSD
PSU : SFX/SFX-L
Air Coolers : As large as Noctua NH-D15, C-14s, Dark Rock Pro, Dark Rock TF, etcs
AIO Cooler : 120mm, 140mm, 240mm (maybe)
The design:
The objective of the design was to use large heatsinks for both GPU and CPU, and later expanded to use AIO's. Because of how efficient these heatsink are at cooling the components, fan speed can be very low ( 30% - 120/140mm fans), and together with an open-air vent enclosure, yields a very silent PC with zero compromise in performance.
GPU Mounting brackets
The GPU is vertically mounted and is facing the motherboard (opposite of convention mounting), using a folded pcie riser cable. I have designed a bracket so that GPU can be mounted vertically and can be shifted vertically and horizontally. This is done because GPU can have different mounting holes and it directly dictates how the GPU heat sink can be stacked or placed with the CPU coolers. The brackets I have here can be pivot left/right via the slider, and screwed straight into the legs of the chassis, it's not shown here but there will be various holes/screwing points to allow for different vertical mounting position of the green plate. The vertical mounting point on the leg is not a slider (for now) to make sure the mounting is sturdy on the vertical junctions.
The case allows for easy removal of the side/top panels and front plate. The top plate is especially useful to remove quickly to gain access to the GPU outputs.
The temps I'm getting is around 55-60C for CPU & ~55C RTX 2080 Ti (OC'ed) & ~45C GTX 1080 Ti (OC'ed), under full gaming load. This is all done while the fan speed never goes past 40%, making the rig technically silent in operation. More thermal studies will be done with the actual case later. I suspect it could raise the GPU temps by 5-10C.
This is my first draft of the case with my intention to allow for better supports with various components and not just the ones that I have tested. I haven't finalized the design of the front plate, but with the current infrastructure of a panel system, all the panels (including the front plate) can be replaced with different design/material.
Note that the case was first designed for my unique stacked tower builds, but the sides can be modified with brackets to allow for full AIO supports that can be mounted front, side, or rear. This is for those that want to start out with AIO's that they already own and not want to invest in expensive air coolers such as the Noctua-D15/DarkRockPro4 or Nocuta-C14s/DarkRockTF.
My main goal is to design a case for myself but I've got many requests to commercialize this product for public consumption so this is my attempt at designing a case that could be used not only with my design but just about anything that's available out there. My first hope is this case will allow people to join in and hop on my innovation in PC design in contrast to the more conventional (abeit outdated ATX platform).
Keep your mind free and never stop challenging the norms!
**Please reply to the discussion to help me improve the design that works for the general audience. I will monitor the interest base on activities to decide if I want to pursue a large order from a case manufacturer.
Update #1 - Using non-moded GPU & 120mm AIO
Non-Modded 3-slots GPU & 120mm and 240mm rad AIOs for CPU
It seems there are a lot of interest in using this case with non-modded GPU. Although this is not the case designed purpose, there's no reason it wouldn't work! So I mock up some models and this is one of many ways you can use non-modded parts with this case. I'm going with the extreme and use a 3-slot GPU (real dimensions) in this mock to demonstrate how much room is there to accommodate "normal" components. Given that front, right side, and rear are open air space, you can practically mount the 120/2400mm rad anywhere. This is just one example.
Update #2 - Modular T-sandwich layout
T-bracket Addon : For sandwich layout
Someone mention the word "modular" somewhere in the post yesterday and it got my juice flowing. Here's my take on modulating my case to include a T-backet addon that can me mounted to the base frame of the case to allow for the sandwich layout that made popular by Dan A4 and similar case. This is definitely a deviation away from my original layout, and don't get me wrong, that's still the top priority. Hence this is why I call this an addon or expansion.
I believe with a simple addon like this it will allow the case to be very versatile. Not only will it house my original stacked design, but also able to allow for more traditional and modern placement of components for those who don't want to attempt modding their GPUs.
THe T-layout is not final, it's just one configuration that I came up with, it can be refined.
In the above picture, the case is now laying sideways. the top mounted 120mm fan is use as intake and the C-style (C-14s or Dark Rock Pro TF) will exhaust the air out to the front. I also show how a 120mm AIO can be mounted, this can be used either for the CPU or GPU (kraken G12 or hybrids). The PSU is mounted at the bottom of the case and connector will be extended to the back. 2 SSD can be mounted righ above the PSU directly to the new T-bracket.
The "divider" is currently placed this way to house a 110mm tall CPU cooler (the Dark Rock Pro TF is used as an example). And there's still space left over for a full size GPU with a maximum length of 330mm.
As for side panels, a few of them can be re-used (maybe 5?) from the original orientation. The old bottom panel will be replaced with the T bracket (in reference to the new design) since it needs cutout for the mobo and gpu mounted back-to-back.
I hope this makes sense and this can add another layer to original case design.
Update #3 - Pseudo prototype
Got some free time tonight so I went to home depot and grab some cheap materials to build a prototype case. Not a "real" aluminum prototype but one made out of wood/aluminum angle to house my V2-b. I'm most interested in making sure that the pcie bracket works as I have imagined.
Not quiet done yet, but hopefully I'll complete and test the bracket in the new few days. Will update when I'm done!
Update #4 - Sandwich Addon - Configuration Testing
I wanted to test the Sandwich layout to see if it's really compatible with my modular framed case design. And I'm glad to say that I've got some things worked out for proof of concept and here are some pics:
Couple things that I was considering:
1) the divider in the middle can be moved or changed so that you can prioritize using different cooling method. Some people might want to use accelero/morpheus coolers with regular sized fan, that would take up 3-4 pcie slots (like ncase m1 does), and they can do that by moving the divider more toward the middle, and there's still space for the CPU to use a slim cooler or an AIO.
2) It was important for me to allow for this to happen without changing the design of the original case frame so I can still build the stacked rig with this case. Afterall, the sandwich layout is an addon/accessories and not the main focus.
3) Re-usable panels from the original case design so that only the "top" panel needs to be swapped out since that would be where the I/O would come out in the horizontal/sandwich position.
4) In the pics above, I wanted to showcase what I'd say the most optimized config for the Sandwich layout. Air-cooled CPU & Hybrid (Kraken g12) AIO cooled GPU. It will fit a C14-s (115mm tall 225 TDP cooler!), no longer will you need to resort to "slim" design, I think this will be especially useful for those that want to go for high-end i9-9900k or Ryzen threadripper builds. And with a Kraken G12 or hybrid CPU, there's space above the SFX/SFX-L PSU that can house a 120mm rad and fan. The push/pull 120mm mastercooler aio is placed there to show that there's plenty of room for the AIO coolers. It can be used for either the CPU or GPU.
I did put a lot of work into making this work as it wasn't as easy to allow for modulation of so many different builds without adding more volume or major changes to the case frame. These prototype aren't perfect but they help give me an idea of what works and what doesn't when it comes to actually trying to stitch all the small designs together.
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