2020 Update!
Happy New Year! Since October, I’ve been hard at work on my CFD-driven airflow focused SFFPC case. The first shots I showed you were simple concepts exploring the inner layout, and possible construction methods. The design has since evolved and matured. **I’m now ready to share a little bit about v0.5**, which is the latest iteration.
Now, let's get into the main design!
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Renders
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Case Concept
The case was designed to hit a balance between 5 main goals:
1. Design driven by functionality and an Understanding of Fluid Dynamics.
2. *Viable* variety of options for cooling high end components. (Liquid *and* Air cooling, including semi-passive, and passive configurations)
3. Compatibility with off-the-shelf parts (ITX motherboards, low profile CPU coolers, full length 2.n slot GPUs, SFX power supplies, 240mm radiators, AIOs, etc.)
4. Premium Look and Feel (Design driven by functionality does not *have* to be ugly)
5. Sub 15L so it’s squarely an SFF case.
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What niche does this case sit in?
Silent Winter sits on the *opposite* side of the cooling vs compactness tradeoffs we usually see in the SFF market (cases typically forego fan mounts and venting to shave down to sub-10L). Silent Winter is a **CFD-Driven, airflow optimized** take on the premium SFF case, with **maximum compatibility** in mind. Even if it makes the case slightly bigger (14L vs sub-10L), the benefits of better airflow are hard to argue with: More air lets you handle hotter components, gives you more OC headroom, or allows for lower fan RPMs, and therefore a quieter system.
More details about the Semi-Passive Kit will be coming soon, but they’re currently pending another round of CFD studies.
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Silent Winter v0.5 Case Specifications: (subject to change)
Physical Dimensions:
- Length: 30.5 cm
- Height: 30.5 cm
- Width: 15.4 cm
- Volume: 14.33 L or 14,325 cm^3
Parts Compatibility:
Code:
Motherboard:
Mini ITX with dual rad & quad fan
Mini DTX with Single rad & quad fan
{!}(Air Cooling Requires 3 fan headers on Motherboard)
{!}(Liquid cooling Requires 2 fan headers + 1 pump header on Motherboard)
{!}(Semi-passive Mode Requires 2 fan headers on Motherboard)
CPU Sink: 60 mm max height
GPU: 295 mm x 48mm x 150 mm max (~2.5 slot)
200 mm x 54mm x 150 mm max {!}(Short GPU REQUIRED with pump/res)
(Note: 1S = 18mm, 2S = 36mm, 3S = 54mm)
Radiators: Dual 240mm Radiators: (290mm x 140mm x 30mm) dimensions
Fans: Quad 140mm x 25mm fans (In anticipation of NFA14x25)
Quad 120mm x 25mm fans
Quad 120mm x 15mm slim fans {!}(with radiators)
Pump/Res: 130mm x 130mm x 55mm (NEED Short GPU) {!}(Check GPU & Pump/Res dimensions carefully!)
(If you decide to not use a pump-block combo on the CPU/GPU)
EK-Quantum Kinetic FLT 120 DDC (120mm x 105mm x 51.2mm)
EK-XTOP SPC-60 PWM (62mm x 62mm x 51mm)
Swiftech MCRES MICRO REV2 RESERVOIR (101mm x 103mm x 38mm)
Swiftech MCP35X Micropump (59mm x 92mm x 62mm)
Swiftech MCP35B Micropump (59mm x 92mm x 62mm)
Swiftech MCP355 Micropump (44mm x 87mm x 61mm)
Alphacool DC-LT Pump w/ FrozenCPU Res (49mm x 49mm x 65mm)
Lightobject DC24 Straight-through brushless pump (116mm X 50mm X 50mm)
Power Supply: SFX (100 x 125 x 63.5 mm) or SFX-L (125 x 125 x 63.5 - not recommended, but okay)
Power Button: Kailh Box Navy with custom round aluminum keycap (changeable for modding)
SATA SSDs: Room for 3 x 2.5" SSDs (100mm x 70mm x 6.8mm) {!}(SHORT GPU required)
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Layout, and Structure
With v05, WinterCase had fundamental changes to the structure. In previous designs (v03 and before) the top and side panels attached to an internal frame. In v04 and v05 this internal frame was removed, and now the *panels* themselves are the main structural component. This was done to maximize *internal* volume.
The inner layout is a sandwich layout (popularized by the Dan A4) with the PCIE riser bridging the GPU / Motherboard. While this is typical of a Sub10L case, Traditionally, cases above 10L have a “standard” PC layout (such as the NCase M1). However, there are problems with this design in maintaining a *linear airflow path* (which is crucial for passive cooling). The “traditional” PC layout creates dead zones in airflow when passively cooling a case.
The linear airflow path and unique vent pattern emphasizes low air resistance in this case, allowing for natural convection, and maximizing airflow at *low* fan RPMs in semipassive or active cooling setups. This design enables an *entirely silent* passively cooled mid-range system (3700X + 2060 Super) or a *whisper quiet* high end system (3950X + 2080Ti) using 4 case fans and huge heat sinks, giving you the reliability of air cooling with the performance of water cooling. In Active Air-cooled mode, you can maximize part compatibility for a reasonably quiet and very flexible system. In Active Liquid Cooled mode, **dual 240mm slim (30mm or thinner) radiators** ensure gobs of overclocking headroom even on high end components (9900k OC + 2080Ti OC) for the hardcore enthusiast.
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Semi-Passive Kit (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Passive Cooling Projection: (Assuming 5CFM natural convection) [2] [3]
* CPU: up to 100W (~85ºC max)
* GPU: up to 150W (~85ºC max)
Semi-passive Cooling Projection: (Assuming 30 CFM fan airflow) [2] [3]
* CPU: up to 170W (~85ºC max)
* GPU: up to 335W (~85ºC max)
[2] TDP's here are rough preliminary calculations based on expected heatsink volume and area, and 23ºC / 73ºF ambient air. These are obviously subject to change, as the designs are not final.
I cannot stress this enough.
[3] Numbers are based of REAL power consumption, NOT TDP. TDP is largely a marketing term, and it's highly advisable to base cooling off
Package Power Consumption (Courtesy of Anandtech) as almost all power consumed by a chip (aside from rounding errors) is dissipated as heat. Neither Intel nor AMD provide accurate TDPs for their chips... (See chart for listed TDP vs Real power consumption). Keep this in mind when considering hardware to use in this build.
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Closing Comments
This is a **late design prototype**. It’s about 80% complete. Most of the slots / cutouts / standoffs / dimensions are finalized. Some things remaining include:
* Baseplate - will attach to the rectangular section on the bottom (so the case doesn't topple)
* Carrying Handle - (raised rectangular section up top will house this, should sit flush)
* Tempered Glass Side Panels (optional, but widely requested)
* Final Screw Placements / Assembly
* Airflow related tweaks (currently running CFD on this)
* Heat Sink Design tweaks (pending more CFD)
Once I finish the detailed design, I plan to make a physical prototype and validate my numbers, make some revisions, and lining up production. Then, comes crowdfunding and actually starting production. I *hope* to get these in people’s hands by August 2020.
Thank you for taking the time to read over this and check out my design. Feel free to ask me questions in the comments here. **I want to know your thoughts about this design, and where you think I could improve things.** <3
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Timeline
1. Finish Semi-Passive Kit (SPK) CPU and GPU heat sink design + CFD (by end of Jan 2020)
2. Update and finalize first CAD for first physical prototype (v06)
3. Create First Physical Prototype (via local machine shop) by (Early Feb 2020)
4. Do physical testing in normal, semi-passive, and passive modes, with real hardware and analyze data, update CFD models. (Feb 2020)
5.
(As necessary) modify designs and repeat steps 3-6. (Feb 2020)
6. Update for manufacturability (v07)
8. Finalize Designs and prepare for crowdfunding. (hopefully by March 2020)
9. Crowdfunding + Manufacturing (March-April of 2020)
10. Delivery of case (hopefully by August 2020)
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