SFF Case Feedback

Straga · Jul 27, 2020

Good day, everyone

I hope everyone is doing well.

Now, this isn't technically a 'DIY' project, as I am planning to go into full production with it eventually, but I thought this would be the best place to get some honest feedback with regards to the design.

The entire case is made from 2mm thick mild steel, almost all of which will be powder-coated black. The outer 'shell' piece will be either electroplated or clear-coated, giving the case a sleek two-tone black & silver look. The 'smoked' 4mm thick tempered glass side panel will also show off the inverted internals, and really drive the sleek aesthetic home in my opinion.

There are also a few choices you may find odd; such as the power button at the rear, the lack of any front IO connections, the completely exposed bottom of the case, the lack of traditional motherboard IO shield support, etc. All of these were done intentionally to add to the simplicity & sleekness of the case.

The case is quite large for an ITX case, but once again this was done to emphasize the design of the case, and have it stand out as an 'art piece' if you will. Much like the InWin Tòu 2.0.

Airflow options with the case will be quite good, with support for 2 x 140mm fans, or a 280mm radiator, in front, 2 x 120mm fans at the top & 1 x 120mm at the rear. Considering the inverted nature of the case, the graphics card will be exceptionally well ventilated, especially if you do decide to add two 120mm fans at the top as well. The 'semi-open' design of the case also helps to ensure that there aren't any 'hot spots' in the case.

That's pretty much it.

I'm really looking forward to hearing what your thoughts are!

dazzy · Jul 27, 2020

Very very nicely done! Super clean design👌 Just one query - what weight will you come out at? 2 mm is super solid and will make it nice and rigid but might it make the case super heavy?

Toy Machine · Jul 27, 2020

Quick thought brought me to wanting the I/O Interface on the PSU shroud giving you the option for USB ports. Otherwise I quite enjoy the case feel and look. Or even where the power button is now to keep the clean aesthetic.

What would be the height for an Air cooler?

Off-The-Chart · Jul 28, 2020

Straga said:
The entire case is made from 2mm thick mild steel, almost all of which will be powder-coated black. The outer 'shell' piece will be either electroplated or clear-coated, giving the case a sleek two-tone black & silver look. The 'smoked' 4mm thick tempered glass side panel will also show off the inverted internals, and really drive the sleek aesthetic home in my opinion.

2mm mild steel with 4mm tempered is going to make it definitely heavy for ITX

1.6mm or alu

There are also a few choices you may find odd; such as the power button at the rear, the lack of any front IO connections, the completely exposed bottom of the case, the lack of traditional motherboard IO shield support, etc. All of these were done intentionally to add to the simplicity & sleekness of the case.

back power button definitely not a fan of and having that in the center on the front would have still kept the design sleek

or made some kind of removable front face that could cover any kind of power button or front IO

'front' IO on an ITX is usually a nice addition so will definitely have added that

what are the 'stand-off' pieces on the solid side panel? fasten motherboard tray?

Straga · Jul 28, 2020

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

I'll address your requests below;

dazzy said:
Very very nicely done! Super clean design👌 Just one query - what weight will you come out at? 2 mm is super solid and will make it nice and rigid but might it make the case super heavy?

Thank you very much, sir. The case will add up to around 10kg, which is about 4kg more than the NZXT H210.

Toy Machine said:
Quick thought brought me to wanting the I/O Interface on the PSU shroud giving you the option for USB ports. Otherwise I quite enjoy the case feel and look. Or even where the power button is now to keep the clean aesthetic.

What would be the height for an Air cooler?

Are you referring to the side of the PSU shroud, mate? Close to the rear of the case?

I have designed the case to be able to accommodate a Noctua NH-D15 with the 'Chromax' NA-HC4 heatsink caps, so it sits around 170mm.

Off-The-Chart said:
2mm mild steel with 4mm tempered is going to make it definitely heavy for ITX

1.6mm or alu

back power button definitely not a fan of and having that in the center on the front would have still kept the design sleek

or made some kind of removable front face that could cover any kind of power button or front IO

'front' IO on an ITX is usually a nice addition so will definitely have added that

what are the 'stand-off' pieces on the solid side panel? fasten motherboard tray?

It is quite heavy, but still manageable in my opinion. I'm also just afraid that 1.6mm mild steel or even aluminium will be too 'flimsy' with the amount of bends.

I will definitely look into moving the power button to the front, mate. Thanks.

USB ports & audio jacks for IO will increase the price significantly, hence why I chose to omit them. I will look into it some more, and see if I can't get some better pricing on them. If I do add some IO, then I want to do it right. So I'm thinking along the lines of a 3.5mm audio jack and perhaps a USB type-C port?

I assume you're referring to the motherboard standoffs? If so, then they are 'PFH Self-Clinching Standoffs' which will be punched into the 2mm plate, ensuring a very sturdy mounting solution for the motherboard. Louqe uses these on their Ghost S1 as well if I'm not mistaken.

Off-The-Chart · Jul 28, 2020

Straga said:
I assume you're referring to the motherboard standoffs? If so, then they are 'PFH Self-Clinching Standoffs' which will be punched into the 2mm plate, ensuring a very sturdy mounting solution for the motherboard. Louqe uses these on their Ghost S1 as well if I'm not mistaken.

was referring to the 2nd picture where it looks like you have 'stand-offs' sticking out from the side panel

was that only shown for the design, or are they actually going to stand out like that?

2mm alu will be plenty strong and doing the bends will help much more than making each thing separate, so already helping with rigidity there

Straga · Jul 28, 2020

Off-The-Chart said:
was referring to the 2nd picture where it looks like you have 'stand-offs' sticking out from the side panel

was that only shown for the design, or are they actually going to stand out like that?

2mm alu will be plenty strong and doing the bends will help much more than making each thing separate, so already helping with rigidity there

Ah, I see. Those are socket head cap screws, fastening the visible panel to the rest of the assembly. I'll do an additional render this evening showing an exploded view of the case which should paint a clearer picture of how everything goes together.

For now they are actually going to stand out like that, but I am looking to rather use ultra-low profile socket head cap screws instead.

I will definitely look into the aluminium then, mate. I'll post my findings on the thread as I go.

AinsleyHarriott · Jul 28, 2020

Did not read the full thread now, but will it support full size PSU?

Many people choose not to go for cases if it requires the use of SFX PSUs due to availability and cost.

Personally I don't care about weight, as long as it's sturdy and relatively small... do you have any idea on possible cost?

Toy Machine · Jul 28, 2020

Straga said:
Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

I'll address your requests below;

Thank you very much, sir. The case will add up to around 10kg, which is about 4kg more than the NZXT H210.

Are you referring to the side of the PSU shroud, mate? Close to the rear of the case?

I have designed the case to be able to accommodate a Noctua NH-D15 with the 'Chromax' NA-HC4 heatsink caps, so it sits around 170mm.

It is quite heavy, but still manageable in my opinion. I'm also just afraid that 1.6mm mild steel or even aluminium will be too 'flimsy' with the amount of bends.

I will definitely look into moving the power button to the front, mate. Thanks.

USB ports & audio jacks for IO will increase the price significantly, hence why I chose to omit them. I will look into it some more, and see if I can't get some better pricing on them. If I do add some IO, then I want to do it right. So I'm thinking along the lines of a 3.5mm audio jack and perhaps a USB type-C port?

I assume you're referring to the motherboard standoffs? If so, then they are 'PFH Self-Clinching Standoffs' which will be punched into the 2mm plate, ensuring a very sturdy mounting solution for the motherboard. Louqe uses these on their Ghost S1 as well if I'm not mistaken.

1. Indeed I did mean on the PSU shroud, towards the back of the case. That wouldn't be ideal for audio jack ports though, and for those I would opt for the front of the case. Otherwise I would simply have power/reset buttons in the stated/current locations.

2. What is the purpose of the gap at teh top of the back panel?

3. Purpose of the bend on the top of the front panel, and what does that transition into? Is there a bracket that will hold fans/AIO that sit flush with that, or would they protrude further than the bend closer to the front panel. and is/will that be accompanied by a dust filter?

Straga · Jul 28, 2020

AinsleyHarriott said:
Did not read the full thread now, but will it support full size PSU?

Many people choose not to go for cases if it requires the use of SFX PSUs due to availability and cost.

Personally I don't care about weight, as long as it's sturdy and relatively small... do you have any idea on possible cost?

It is not designed to accommodate ATX PSUs, no. An ATX PSU is approximately 25mm larger in height & width, and I didn't want to make the case any larger than it already is.

No indication yet on cost unfortunately, still in talks with suppliers & manufacturers. I will definitely update the thread as soon as costs have been established.

Toy Machine said:
1. Indeed I did mean on the PSU shroud, towards the back of the case. That wouldn't be ideal for audio jack ports though, and for those I would opt for the front of the case. Otherwise I would simply have power/reset buttons in the stated/current locations.

2. What is the purpose of the gap at teh top of the back panel?

3. Purpose of the bend on the top of the front panel, and what does that transition into? Is there a bracket that will hold fans/AIO that sit flush with that, or would they protrude further than the bend closer to the front panel. and is/will that be accompanied by a dust filter?

1. I will definitely look into moving the power button to the front & adding some IO as well, but I don't think that the IO on side of the shroud is going to look too flattering if I'm honest.

2. The gap at the top runs down behind the motherboard tray, and essentially allows for cable management & 2.5" SSDs to be mounted in between the two panels. I am busy rendering an exploded view of the case to showcase the different components, & how they all come together.

3. Yes, sir, you are 100% correct. The bend transitions downward to which fans and/or radiators could be mounted. (The bracket will be a lot more visible in the exploded view mentioned above.)

However, there will unfortunately be no dust filters included with the case.

Straga · Jul 29, 2020

Hi, everyone

Just a quick update;

My PC froze up last night whilst doing the exploded render which I was talking about, so I'm going to be giving it another shot today.

Straga · Jul 30, 2020

Hi, everyone

Right, here is the exploded render of the case;

Hopefully this gives everyone a better idea of all the different components & how they all come together.

Straga · Jul 31, 2020

Hi, everyone

Hope everyone is having a good Friday.

Just a couple of updates regarding the points raised above;

1. I am doing some renders to show what the power button will look like at the front of the case, which I'll post so everyone can give their thoughts.
2. I have also looked into adding some IO to the case, but I can't find any local suppliers selling USB and/or 3.5mm Audio Jack modules locally, so if anyone is familiar with that industry and know of any suppliers who do supply the aforementioned please do let me know.
3. Depending on order quantities, the price for a case should come out to around R3,000.00 - R3,500.00. This price is also excluding any IO modules, so just bear that in mind. (Prices are subject to change of course.)

Cheers.

MarioL87 · Jan 3, 2022

Hi,

I just found this thread while looking into ITX cases. Whatever happened with this design?

Are you selling this case?

Straga · Jan 6, 2022

MarioL87 said:
Hi,

I just found this thread while looking into ITX cases. Whatever happened with this design?

Are you selling this case?

Hi,

I still have the design, just got caught up with work and life and never really got back to finishing it.

If you're interested I'm sure I can have one made up for you?

Cheers.

Off-The-Chart · Jan 10, 2022

@Straga would you have done the installation of the self clinching yourself, or know of a place that can do it?

Straga · Jan 11, 2022

@Off-The-Chart Nope, the company doing the manufacturing of the steel components would've done the inserts as well.

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