Titan ITX status. (placeholder)

[Sean.Crees]

Any fan spinning faster than 1000rpm is too loud, and a 70mm fan spinning that slow isn't going to push enough air. Also there are tonality issues with 70mm fans. Finding quiet 80mm, or 120mm fans is much easier. The bigger the fan, the slower it can spin and still give proper cooling. Personally I don't run any fans over 800rpm in any of my systems.

Also all stock GPU heatsink/fans are too loud, hence necessitating some sort of aftermarket cooling. All aftermarket air coolers I can find are 3 slot solutions only.

That all said, my biggest hurdle has always been finding the right sized enclosure, and your enclosure is as close to the perfect size I've been able to find. I can always just buy a riser card one slot higher and mod your chassis to fit it. There appears to be enough vertical clearance for it to fit. Then just use a 4.75" hole saw to cut fan holes in the top and bottom. I'd probably want top and bottom panels without vents so the final product looks clean. I'd rather have wire fan grills than stamped vents in the case panels.

[Lazzer408]

Originally Posted by Sean.Crees

Any fan spinning faster than 1000rpm is too loud, and a 70mm fan spinning that slow isn't going to push enough air. Also there are tonality issues with 70mm fans.

The fans don't need to move alot of air when the system is idle. When under load they will kick up but the GPU is still louder. Aftermarket coolers are quieter but if you raise the GPU, you will loose the optical, 2.5", and 3.5" mounts. You can probably stick a 2.5" on top of the PSU. At this point there's enough room there.

What you intend with 120mm fans will take some moding. I don't think your going to get a 120mm fan anywhere in here (except above the CPU) unless you raise the GPU and use a 2-slot GPU cooler. Then you will have room for a 120mm and a drive or two.

[Sean.Crees]

Originally Posted by Lazzer408

The fans don't need to move alot of air when the system is idle. When under load they will kick up but the GPU is still louder. Aftermarket coolers are quieter but if you raise the GPU, you will loose the optical, 2.5", and 3.5" mounts. You can probably stick a 2.5" on top of the PSU. At this point there's enough room there.

What you intend with 120mm fans will take some moding. I don't think your going to get a 120mm fan anywhere in here (except above the CPU) unless you raise the GPU and use a 2-slot GPU cooler. Then you will have room for a 120mm and a drive or two.

All I need is a single 2.5" drive bay. I only use SSDs in my systems and use external NAS for mass storage. Keeps the computers quiet and allows the data to be used by multiple systems.

Your case is 3.5" thick which is the same as 2U cases. 2U allows for 75mm high CPU coolers. The Big Shuriken is 45mm, and the 120mm nexus is 25mm, leaving 5mm to spare. So no problems with a 120mm fan on the CPU.

I have found 2U cases with 3 horizontal expansion slots, so I know I can get a riser card one higher than what you are using now and it'll fit. That would give me enough space under a 2 slot GPU for a 120mm fan.

That gives me a system with 2 120mm fans running at 800rpm, and the PSU fan with no mechanical HDDs. The loudest thing would probably be the 80mm fan in the PSU.

[Sean.Crees]

What about making the GPU 1 slot higher and putting the optical/drive bays under the GPU instead of above it? It shouldn't affect price, size, or drive capabilities, and it would allow those that don't want an optical drive and instead a 3 slot GPU to do so.

[Lazzer408]

I wanted the GPU inlet on the bottom of the chassis. If the GFX were to draw in say ~10c warmer air (from inside the chassis) the GFX's fan would have to run faster. Remember, this was designed to suit a wide market and offer as many features as I could fit in the space allowed. There are likely more people who would use a 3.5" or 3.5"+SSD then there are -only- an SSD with a 3-slot GFX card. In addition, those who do not want to use a GFX card can add another 3.5" drive. If someone wanted to make a 2-drive NAS out of this (plus an SSD for OS), they can.

[Sean.Crees]

Well either way ill be buying one as soon as they are available. Speaking of which, any idea when they might be available to buy?

Just don't be upset if the first thing I do with it is hack it up with a dremel and hole saw.

[Sean.Crees]

So i was wondering if you knew where the cheapest place to get a 1 off steel chassis made? You seem to have contacted numerous contractors to get lots of quotes for this case, i thought maybe you might be able to recommend someone to me.

Here are some pics of what I'm thinking of, it's 12.5" x 12.5", x 3.5". I drew up the case and a basic layout for it in Sketchup. I left the PC components intentionally vague so as to not slow down Sketchup when panning view around. The black parts are a foam duct and thermal barrier. As you can see i had to shave about 2mm off the top of the SFX PSU to get the 120mm fan to fit above it.

The case is very detailed though, and i left out cutouts on purpose. I figure the hardest part is getting the case the right size. I can do all the hole cutouts and internal structural work myself. I wanted to keep it as simple as possible so as to keep cost of production down. I'd only want 1, so i don't have to worry about spending a bunch of time cutting holes for every case like you do.

What do you think? See any potential pitfalls? You've been through this process further than i have, so i figure you would have more insight than I.

[Lazzer408]

Originally Posted by Sean.Crees

So i was wondering if you knew where the cheapest place to get a 1 off steel chassis made?

I don't. Parts are all fairly expensive due to the setup time for the machines. I personally know the owners of the shops in my area so it was somewhat inexpensive for me to get rapid prototyping. I would suggest going to a local shop (bring your completed and accurate prints, dxf, dwf, step, cad, etc) and speak with someone there. Some shops don't mind knocking out a part or two to help get you started.

[Sean.Crees]

Originally Posted by Lazzer408

I had some updated parts test cut on some scrap today. Here's the 13.5x3.5" rear panel. Judging by the I/O shield, you can get a better idea of it's size.

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/at...1&d=1324597525

So i was going over the sketchup I'm making for the case i want, and i noticed a discrepancy with your backplate. I'm designing mine to use a 2U riser card just like you said you're doing with yours, but my backplate cutout for expansion cards is a full slot higher than yours. Are you using a 1U riser card by mistake, or by design?

This is what the back of my case looks like so far.

[Sean.Crees]

I think i have finally finished this sketchup model. I have double and triple checked every measurement. Here are pics with the top cover closed. If you'd like i can send you the sketchup i have, maybe it could help you with your case.

[Lazzer408]

Google sketchup is ok to whip up concept drawings but I don't think it will output a format that can head straight to the shop for production. A laser or waterjet would likely use a DXF format that's ready to go with all your edges, holes, bend radius/k-factors, and relief radiuses in place. Those values will depend on the material type, thickness, and machines being used.

That seems like an aweful lot of air flow. Just a heads up on axial fans... They do not function well when placed near an object (on it's inlet side) closer then roughly the fans thickness. A 120x25mm fan, for example, should be 25mm away from anything. Try it on the desk when you get a chance. The 360 slim uses an axial as a puller right against the heatsink. I bet that fan is opperating below 50% of it's rated cfm. It was cheap and easy for MS though.

Originally Posted by Sean.Crees

I think i have finally finished this sketchup model. I have double and triple checked every measurement. Here are pics with the top cover closed. If you'd like i can send you the sketchup i have, maybe it could help you with your case.

[Sean.Crees]

Originally Posted by Lazzer408

Google sketchup is ok to whip up concept drawings but I don't think it will output a format that can head straight to the shop for production. A laser or waterjet would likely use a DXF format that's ready to go with all your edges, holes, bend radius/k-factors, and relief radiuses in place. Those values will depend on the material type, thickness, and machines being used.

That seems like an aweful lot of air flow. Just a heads up on axial fans... They do not function well when placed near an object (on it's inlet side) closer then roughly the fans thickness. A 120x25mm fan, for example, should be 25mm away from anything. Try it on the desk when you get a chance. The 360 slim uses an axial as a puller right against the heatsink. I bet that fan is opperating below 50% of it's rated cfm. It was cheap and easy for MS though.

I was reading online, and there is a free utility i can get to convert the sketchup into any of the CAD formats. I was very detailed in all of my measurements, sometimes down to 6 decimal places of a millimeter. The only thing i wasn't sure how to do was bend radius', i just did 90 degree bends.

The three axial fans on top are intake, so there wont' be anything near the inlet side, the inlet side is the top of the case. I am going to use Scythe Gentle Typhoons which are known to have great static pressure, and are double ball bearing so using them in a horizontal position won't hamper them at all. Gentle Typhoons are also one of the quietest fans on the market if you get the 800rpm version. They are around 30CFM each. The only axial fan that may have issues is the thin one under the graphics card, it only has around a 1/4" space under it, but it's just there to provide some sort of airflow to the VRM's, it doesn't have to be a lot, just as long as it's better than nothing. It's more to direct air, not to move air, and i may not even need it i just put it there in case i do. There are no exhaust fans, this is a positive air pressure design. PSU air is directed out the side via a foam duct, so PSU air won't increase internal case temperatures at all. All other hot air from the CPU and GPU are exhausted out the back of the chassis.

[Lazzer408]

Originally Posted by Sean.Crees

The only thing i wasn't sure how to do was bend radius', i just did 90 degree bends.

Depends on the dies and materials. As long as you have the folded od the shops can figure it out.

[jobsmxli]

So I my suppose this product is not going that well. Anyway, I'll find the ml05 fun to play with.

[darckhart]

found your thread while googling. very interested in this project. any new progress?

[OneMoar]

anything on this little bit of awesome ? I want one

[Lazzer408]

It amounts to me not being able to find a cad guy willing to work on the side. Those that own the software paid 1000s for it and charge just as much to draw with it. It's a shame really because I know a fluent designer could whip this up in a few hours. That and my hands are tied between my store and my vehicle. The store is doing well and soon I'll have the funds to bite the bullet and pay these guys.

Everything is sourced though and just waiting on production quality drawings. Sorry about the delays.