[Custom Case] DELTA_ZERO_3

[Daiyus]

I'm planning a DIY build and am in the throws of the 3D modelling stage. I believe I have a pretty solid design and just wanted somethoughts on these statistics were before I go into really fine details, I'm trying to go as small as possible without limiting power or functionality and showing off the hardware:

- The case is looking to be approximately 115mm thick, 400mm wide and 350mm deep.
- This case utilises an mITX motherboard, an SFX PSU and allows for full sized graphics cards (I'm planning on putting an ASUS Strix RX 480 in there which is ~300mm long).
- The design shows the the motherboard and cooler face of the GPU through a window.
- The design includes cable tidying space behind the motherboard tray with space for a slim optical drive as well.
- Five 80mm PWM fans provide airflow (3 intakes by the GPU with 2 exhaust by the motherboard to promote positive pressure airflow).

This system is being designed to be able to act as a gaming system, HTPC (including Blu-ray films) and be a platform to do basic CAD work, game modding and other light workstation duties therefore it needs to be quiet and powerful in a low profile form factor.

What do you guys think?


[UPDATE 01]
It's VERY early days but this is where I'm at right now. Like I said I haven't really got beyond basic layout and small details such as fixings haven't been drawn in yet:

You can see the PCIe cutouts for any dual-slot GPU to sit face up and I've put the motherboard IO and mounting points in. I'm planning on using 10mm standoffs to ensure good airflow under the board as many mITX boards offer M.2 under there. You see the first cable routing port under the edge of the motherboard too. The 80mm fans have been crudely drawn in; accurate mountings are one of my next jobs. The front fascia isn't yet drawn, but you can see the space underneath the "base plate" which will allow neat cabling and the slim slot loading optical drive to be mounted along with 2.5" drives. The PSU will be in the front right of the case (cables towards the GPU) with a the power cable running running out the back of the case through a grommet.


[UPDATE 02] So I did a bit more work last night:

I'm starting to play with design now I'm certain of the layout. The tolerances for the fans are a little tight (1mm!) once the 4mm Tempered Glass is on the top so it may end up going a little thicker. The positions of the cable routing may change a little depending on how I mount the optical drive. Speaking of mounting I'm having one debate; as you can see currently the base plate and all the mountings (primarily the PSU and PCIe Riser bracket) are cut and bent from the base-plate meaning a nice simple single piece design, however this might cause installation difficulties. It might be easier to have separate bracket pieces that can be mounted to components outside the chassis and then bolted onto the base-plate. I'm not sure which direction to go.

 

[Daiyus]

A small update as I haven't had much chance to develop the actual drawings despite my mind pretty much finalizing the design. This is one of four pieces that will make up the Daiyus: Design Simplicity case. Yep, that's right, it'll be sticking to it's namesake and be built in four pieces; front fascia, base-plate, mounting-plate & glass top.

The front fascia will be a single piece wrapped all the way around the left, front and right hand side of the case and will have the mounting points and ventilation for the five 80mm fans as well as a slot for the optical drive to load through. There will be bends at the bottom of the left and right sides to accommodate the base-plate.

The base-plate will cover the base and will bend up the back of the case 20mm. 20mm standoffs will be put into the base plate which will support the mounting-plate.

The mounting-plate is where all the action happens. It is a single piece with all the required mounting positions bent out from it. You effectively build the PC on the mounting-plate outside the case, including cable management underneath. You then place the built system onto the 20mm standoffs hiding any unsightly cables between the base-plate and the mounting plate. You then secure this by screwing a longer stand-off into the 20mm stand-off and mount the fans (which you would have wired but left loose).

Once that's in place you simply bolt the glass top onto the tall stand-offs. It all just stacks up from the base plate leaving a clean, tidy, efficient build.

I can't wait to get some better software than SketchUp to create some proper engineering drawings and start getting the pieces made. I'll be getting all the metal pieces made in aluminium which will be anodised black. Should look good with the tempered glass top.

Just as a note once I have one set made repeat sets should be cheaper (even if I get more than one in the first run) so I'm considering discussing pricing for multiple cases with the machine shop. If anyone is interested in owning one of these cases I'll be able to price it up and happily sell them; they can even be anodised in whatever colour you like.

 

[Daiyus]

Major Update

So it's a been a while and this project has undergone some serious changes; pretty much every element has been overhauled:

- Compatibility: I'm now working with an ATX motherboard instead of mITX. In this configuration the space saving of mITX is minimal.

- Layout: The power supply is now in it's traditional place at the bottom of the motherboard however it's still SFX to keep the build as thin as possible.

- Size: The build has increased in size slightly. I'm now looking to achieve 450(w)x350(d)x130(h)mm. This will comfortably accommodate the ATX board and allows for a 240mm AIO for the CPU and a 120mm Hybrid graphics card!

- Oh yeah, I've actually started building too:

The motherboard is now mounted on standoffs with work on the IO shield well on the way. I have a PCIe riser cable on the way with more standoffs to facilitate the horizontal graphics card; this will include grinding out the horizontal PCIe slots and modifying some angle-iron to facilitate mounting.

Next steps are to build a former from plywood so I can mould a prototype shell from fiberglass (I'm a QMS/QC department head at a fiberglass firm) and then purchase the main components that will be compatible with my current hardware as well as my next build; the Corsair SF600 PSU and Corsair H100i v2.

I'm hoping by the end of the month I'll be able to run a completed build in a "test-bench" format with the shell and other components within a few weeks of that.

 

[Bartacus]

Nice! Love me some custom case builds!

 

[Daiyus]

I've now got the graphics card mount sorted. It's not the cleanest job ever but as a prototype before doing the CAD work and having it made from aluminium I'm happy.

 

[SuB]

is it just the image? or is that board bent?

 

[Daiyus]

is it just the image? or is that board bent?

Very slightly. I've only got the four corner screws in at the moment, when the others are in the board looks much flatter. The image does exaggerate it slightly as well.

 

[AlienALX]

Well it's starting to look like something

What ribbon are you using and where did you get it from?

 

[Daiyus]

My father ordered it as my birthday gift but I'm pretty sure it's this one:

https://www.moddiy.com/products/Pre...dE-Extension-Shielded-Cable-Riser-(30cm).html

 

[LittleTaff]

Looks promising! ill keep my eye out for further updates!!!

 

[Daiyus]

So this project has taken a bit of a turn. For starters due to EK's Fluid Gaming lineup I'm now going to go for a full loop which means the title "Simplicity" no longer really fits. The project is now "DELTA_ZERO_3" based on my call-sign from my days playing Halo, that and I lost track of version numbers a long time ago.

What it means is that I'm back to design stage. Annoying, but my experience with the original "build" has been beneficial. For one it's been great to have a physical representation to understand how it all goes together; being able to take measurements and mock up has been a great learning experience. Secondly it's proven to me that my metalworking skills are... lacking the refinement (yeah, that sounds good) that I'd want this case to ultimately achieve. I will work on those skills elsewhere but this case will be made by a contractor.

So here's how the case currently looks:

Open Top:

Open Bottom:

The case without feet is 500mm wide, 375mm deep and 132mm thick. It's fairly simple design; 360mm radiator in the front, a short EK-SPC pump/res in the back right corner, SFX power supply in the back left, I/O on the left side of the case, disc access on the right, motherboard is central with a parallel GPU mounted. The backplate is fully ventilated to allow good airflow.

I have passed all of my SketchUp drawings to a colleague to convert them into a format that our contractor can use. If people want to see the drawings for each individual component (which includes the Storage and Optical Drive brackets) I can upload them too.

 

[Daiyus]

Images corrected. Apologies.

 

[Daiyus]

Just ordered a Ryzen 5 1600, a Gigabyte AX370 Gaming K5 and a Sapphire Vega 56.

Just waiting on the Vega to come back into stock then all three will be on the way. I'll mount these on the original test rig while the case design is finalised and manufactured.

 

[AlienALX]

Nice one man. Would have got a different board myself but hey, so long as you are happy with it

How much was the GPU?

 

[Daiyus]

Nice one man. Would have got a different board myself but hey, so long as you are happy with it

How much was the GPU?

The board was more of an aesthetic choice; logically I know I didn't need to go higher than the ASUS B350-f. I'm planning an EK Fluid Gaming loop though so the black and brushed aluminium look will match really, really well.

The GPU was £379.99. A little pricier than I was hoping for but still cheaper than a GTX 1070 that will fit a waterblock; last I checked they were all at around £400. I know I could've stretched to a GTX 1080 for £450 but I just really wanted an AMD/AMD build this time round.

I bit the bullet and did it on finance too. Not a happy decision but I kind of came to the conclusion that if I didn't take advantage of Vega's "introductory pricing" and carried on waiting as more of my saving are siphoned off for "family responsibilities" I'd just get more and more unhappy and eventually lash out. It's the lesser of two evils and as the cost is spread out I was happier to go a little higher on price to have the rig I'm truly happy with.

 

[AlienALX]

That's not too bad really. You may be better off with the Gigabyte going into the future. Pretty sure it will have more "buff" phases, and the second gen of Ryzen may overclock really well and thus be better on higher end boards

If you don't need a 1080 there's not really much point in buying one tbh. I noticed my old Titan XM was right at the limit of comfortable, that is the only reason I changed it. Could have easily gotten another year out of it but whatever

 

[Daiyus]

That's not too bad really. You may be better off with the Gigabyte going into the future. Pretty sure it will have more "buff" phases, and the second gen of Ryzen may overclock really well and thus be better on higher end boards

If you don't need a 1080 there's not really much point in buying one tbh. I noticed my old Titan XM was right at the limit of comfortable, that is the only reason I changed it. Could have easily gotten another year out of it but whatever

Exactly. My next upgrade will be the monitor which will either target 1080p120 or 1440p60 both of which are well within the Vega 56's sweet spot.

[EDIT] Just got the shipping confirmation email. Tomorrow I will be the proud owner of a new AMD gaming rig!