My build is in a Phanteks Evolv ITX case. I haven't found a suitable alternative that can house a 280mm radiator and 2x 3.5" HDDs so I'm thinking to mod the front and top panels. Inspiration I don't have any power tools other than a drill so I'm thinking about the cost of tools and parts. The mods look like they take some time but not necessarily something that is beyond my skill (I hope). I flipped the fans so that they pull from the front and back and push out the top. How much should I be expecting to pay for a suitable dremel? @The_Crapman generously offered to help with cutting the panel. I'm thinking if a Dremel isn't too much more than shipping a panel I might be able to do an interesting mod myself without the risk of something getting damaged in shipping. What advice does everyone have? What are my options for a nice looking mesh that doesn't cost a ridiculous amount for shipping? What are my options for material and what do I need to be concerned about in terms of structural integrity and mounting the grill? Less work would be prefered, so is it ideal to go with a couple 120mm grills? With the radiator mounted off centre should I mod off to the side of the panel or it won't really matter?
Just a thought... My Fractal Define Mini C can house a 280mm radiator in the front (max width 144mm) and can house 2 x 3.5" HDD's and 3 x 2.5" HDD's/SSD's. The odd thing about it is that its dimensions are 210x412x413 (WxHxD - with feet) whereas your case dimensions are 230x375x395, despite yours being ITX and mine being mATX. Basically the Fractal is an inch & 1/2 taller, 20mm narrower and 18mm deeper. Both can take 5 fans and the prices are similar - the Fractal can also come with a tempered glass side panel. Sometimes you need to look at case dimensions when searching rather than the m/b size the manufacturer states is required. Hell, even my Define Nano S ITX case can fit a 280mm rad and has space for 2 x 3.5" drives, its dimensions are 203x344x412 (WxHxD - with feet). Edit: corrected case heights to include feet - doh!
Does it have good airflow without modding? How does the radiator affect airflow? My radiators dimensions are 311×138×27mm
You can have 2 x 120/140 top fans, 3 x 120 or 2 x 140 front fans and 1 x 120 rear fan so airflow without modding is good - for a case that is built with silence in mind. Everything is filtered as well. From the website - https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/define/define-mini-c-tempered-glass/black/ Compatibility Power supply type ATX Motherboard compatibility mATX, ITX Front radiator 120/240 mm or 140/280 mm (max width 144 mm) Top radiator 120/240 mm (max component height on motherboard 40 mm) Rear radiator 120 mm (max width 125 mm) PSU max length 175 mm GPU max length 315 mm with front fan mounted CPU cooler max height 172 mm Cable routing space 15-35 mm Fractal also do a Meshify C Mini, basically the same case with a mesh front panel that takes the same radiator size as the Define Mini C and has 217x412x409 (WxHxD - with feet) dimensions. Bit-Tech review here: https://bit-tech.net/reviews/tech/cases/fractal-design-meshify-c-mini-tg-dark-tint-review/1/ Check out the comparison on page 3 in the cooling test with the Evolv ITX... If you do go for a Fractal Define Mini C or Nano S, you will need to replace the 2 x 120mm stock fans that comes with it, I run 2 x 140mm BeQuiet SilentWings in the front of my Nano S with 2 x 120mm Noctua's on the AIO. I have 2 x 140mm & 1 x 120mm Noctua's arriving on Tuesday for my Mini C.
If a new case isn't off the table, then i'd be inclined to go with the Fractal Meshify C Mini. Its got better airflow than the define cases. It is £80 and i think it's only available with dark glass for some reason, but it has very similar dimensions to your current case but much MUCH better airflow. A dremmel 3000 with flex shaft and case is £66 on amazon, or you could go with generic rotary tool, tacklife, vonhaus etc for around £30. If you wanted to try a more intricate design, you might be better off with a scroll saw type machine, like the dremmel one in the performance pcs video, maybe a second hand one though? It was the weapon of choice for our dear wayne (rip), although he had hands of the gods. **** i miss him. If you go with the new case, all you'd need to do is swap your bits over. I say "all", but transferring stuff into a new case can be a pain. Your gpu might run a little hotter as the 280 rad would need to go in the front according to specs. I think maybe you could squeeze an aio rad in the roof with ports at the front of the case, as the chambers on aio rads tend to be smaller. Would depend on motherboard/ram clearance. If you go with the modding there's very little fannying around with your rig, just pop the panels off to mod. The question is will the end result live up to expectations or are your expectations low enough that it wont matter. The easiest option would be to cut 1 big hole, directly over where the rad will be, file and sand the edges a little to smooth off and slap a premade filter on top, or underneath. Could be done for £50 with a cheaper rotary tool. Could be cheaper still if you buy the materials and make the filter yourself.
The Meshify C Mini will have slightly more airflow than the normal Mini C but, reading the bit-tech review of the Meshify I linked above, there is only 1 degree between them with the stock fans. I picked up my Define Mini C Window (not tempered glass) for £45 including delivery. Bought new, the TG version is around £10 more than the window version.
So, non-mesh runs 1 degree warmer and should be quieter. Should this result be similar with a 280mm rad in the front. It seems a lot of reviews are with a single 120mm in the front.
Yes although the reviews are usually using the stock fans - the fans you have (going by your "what fans where" thread) are better than the stock fans so the actual temperatures should be lower again. Every case is improved by better fans than those that come with them.
They'd go up, not too much, but they would. You could always strap an aio to it and mount that i the roof
Which gets hotter - your CPU or your GPU? There are two options for large CPU AIO's in the Define Mini C case; a 240/280 in the front or a 240 in the roof (the roof won't take 280's). A 280 in the front means that the warm air from your CPU radiator gets circulated around your GPU before exhausting. A 240 in the roof means that the warm air from your GPU gets pushed through the CPU radiator on its way out. Given your GPU will get to around 80C under load (source), it is probably hotter than your CPU will run with the AIO. I would run the 280 in the front and have one rear and one top exhaust fans to get rid of the warm air.
I've been doing some research on the Meshify C Mini and I'm not sure how well it supports a 280mm AIO. Officially is supports it but I think I would need to remove the drive bay. I would be able to mount one 3.5" drive on the bottom but I can find any build photos or youtube videos with a 280mm AIO, I that case, a Meshify C would better accommodate a 280mm radiator. Surprisingly, it would be similar in size to my Phanteks Evolv ITX ENTHOO EVOLV ITX tempered glass 230 mm x 375 mm x 395 mm (W x H x D) Fractal Design Meshify C Tempered Glass 395 mm x 212 mm x 440 mm (LxWxH) Fractal Design Meshify C Mini Dark TG 395 x 212 x 399 mm (LxWxH) It would be nice to get a newer case with USB-C support but I haven't seen anything exciting recently. Requirements small good airflow 280mm support 2x 3.5" HDD support When 2TB SATA SSDs become affordable I will have more options, but that is several years away.
Kustompcs in Scotland do this mod it looks great,was going to get it done on my old phantek evolv,but the new revision came out and didn't bother.
It was the phantek evolv x it's the full atx case but I'm sure they should be able to help out,there was another shop I used quite a lot for cnc and powder coating called chilled pc and the owner Tom is a great guy to deal with but I'm not sure he's still doing it now.
