So I'm designing a kind of FT02, mini-version. How do other people design the case? I started from the components and where they would be placed inside and I need to work out how to make the case on the outside (and how to fit/hold said parts inside.) Here is the design plan: Per picture: ITX Mobo: Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe Memory: Any 2x8gb CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i + 4 fans. Probably Corsair SP120s Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 660Ti - Zotac AMP! OR ASUS GTX 670 Mini (Technically could accomodate up to 230mm cards in the pic). 2x HDD - Any 1x SSD - Any ATX PSU - Up to 160mm in length in pic (AX850). Might take slightly longer. Options: 3 SATA are being used by above 2xHDD + 1xSSD. Option is to either: Make space for a slim ODD. Use SATA3 with another SDD, use external ODD. Approximate dimensions of component space is: 300mm Length 150mm Width 340mm Height (Add 10-20mm for Air entry clearance) This can be shortened by ~30mm if the GFX card will definitely be shorter at 180. The case should be small, quiet and cool. - Cool using the H100i. - Small as per ITX. Can technically be either upwards as per picture or lying down like an HTPC. - Quiet... Needs to be done in the design. Can definitely use some SP120 Quiet edition fans which would help. Add 3-7mm to each side for noise dampening foam, also at the bottom where the air enters the system, and perhaps at the top. The top is unlikely since that's where all the I/O are. What do you guys think?
It can be done even smaller, if you get rid of the useless optical drive and the 3.5" HDDs. And a SFX-PSU does wonders Oh, and you need another cooler, as the H100i doesn't have enough grunt to cool the added GTX670. A Swiftech Apogee Drive 2 is a better solution, as it let's you add a GPU-block and a rad of your choice.
I recon with fans in push pull the h100i would be enough to cool both, but you'd have to expect temps that were the same as air cooling and you probably wouldn't have much room for overclocking. You'd also need to factor in a small res.
jrs77: I wish I found it so easy to create a case like that... Hmm. The reason I wanted to use the H100i was because I've never done watercooling and adding a pump (+res) sounds like it would make a fair bit more noise as well as take up precious space. To be fair, I know nothing about watercooling but this might not be the case for that. The GPU can be air cooled and run at stock, the upflowing fans should push it up. Re: SFX PSU I have looked those up. The ones from Silverstone are 450W which would be great, except reviews seem to say they're noisy. There are Be Quiet ones out, but at 350W, I'm not sure they'd be enough to power the system. On the other hand, ATX PSUs have near silent/passive 500W PSUs. So a bit more space, but a fair bit less noise. Don't get me wrong, this is supposed to be a 'main' PC system, so I just feel it should have everything in it, ITX sized, hence the 2 HDDs.
Neither your nor my design there will result in a silent system really, as they both lack ventilation. Also, if you're not going to watercool the GPU, then place the PSU on the other side, so that the GPU can draw fresh air from the side (have some holes there for ventilation. And for only cooling the CPU... 240mm rad with push-pull is total overkill. Even a 120mm rad with a single fan will be enough to cool a 3570k @ 4GHz, just like your aircooler. I wouldn't watercool anyways, if you're not going to heavily overclock CPU+GPU. It's a waste of money imho. There's plenty of decent aircoolers for both CPU and GPU to cool them effectively, while still being somewhat silent.
Here's a quick idea for a FT02ish case, with room for a large doubleslot 11" GPU, 2x 3.5" HDD and a standard size ATX-PSU. Cooling the CPU with a Corsair H60 and an 120mm intake-fan blowing directly at the motherboard for some airflow. Not really, as this cooler will be nasty and high pitched. I'd rather look for a possibility to implement a bigger card with a more silent cooling-solution.
@ Mankz: I saw that. The noise will be quite important factor for it. One can only hope since ASUS have done some minor feats with the CU2. @jrs77: I made another design, but comparing it to yours, i think yours appears better. Especially considering that the footprint is smaller in terms of LxW, since height doesn't matter on the desk. There's a fair bit of gap in places where space can be saved. But your tower design trumps it. Altogether, it might just be better to wait for more efficient and quiet SFX PSUs to come out and design around those.
On what evidence are you basing this on? It creates a more efficient airflow over the heatsink stack at the same speed. If you're going for a longer card and fat PSU, you might as well go mATX tbh.
I'm basing this by looking at the cooler, comparing it to coolers where there's 4 heatpipes with a large array of fins and 2x 100mm fans attached. So even if the fan is designed to be more efficient, it still smaller with a smaller heatsink, resulting in higher fan-speeds. That's what modular PSUs and custom made cables are there for
Well, the Asus GTX 670 Mini is out and has been reviewed here: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GeForce_GTX_670_Direct_Cu_Mini/ And it seems pretty good and reasonably quiet. If only there was a quiet SFX PSU now...
And now version 3. I've changed it to a mATX board, since the Gene is almost always well received and makes the entire enterprise easier somewhat in terms of future expansion. The current mITX seem good, but mATX means you can retain the power level. That meant larger footprint which can't be helped. I'll keep it using a full GTX680 template so that it can fit large GPUs in there just in case and keep the airflow vertical. Note that the placement of the PSU means the CPU will be cooled via a AIO liquid cooler.
Can you get the AIO cooler in that gap - can the tubes be twisted? Would a Swiftech one where you can make your own length tubing be better? Our new Gene is out in ~1 month, keep an eye out
After trying to fit the h100i tubing in my xbox mod, you are going to struggle to guide it under the power supply without kinking it, you may be able to do it if you lose the use of the 2 inner ram slots though. Z87 gene?
Fair points to raise up. I stuck a 240mm rad model, the Black Ice from the excellent Sketchup Component Compendium. It seems to have roughly the same dimensions as a Corsair H100. It fits just about with 15mm clearance with the GPU. Also, measuring the distance from CPU socket to fittings is ~200mm, which ought to be enough even with a bit of twisting. As for tube clearance, as per picture there should be enough. I measured ~40mm between the ram and PSU.
