esplin2966

For the case or for the case stand? The most basic option of the !nverse case is $129. You can see other options in our indiegogo campaign. All case options are blasted with fine glass beads and then anodized for a macbook-like finish. As for the case stand, we're still waiting to get a quote from our manufacturer. Once we do, I'll definitely update you.

Hey everyone, people have been asking about the possibility of a case stand, so I just want to quickly update with some renders. Please let me know what you think!

Thanks! I'll check these places out. Thanks! Yeah I know the timing could've been better, but Chinese New Years interfering with our manufacturer's schedule kinda forced our hand. Sir you're besmirching my good name.

I'm already on OCN and Hardforum, but didn't know about bit-tech. Thanks for the suggestions! Are there any other forums that you know?

Hey man, no worries, your support is more than enough

Hey everyone, today I want to bring you a project that is very dear to me: the !nverse small form factor case. I have actually posted a topic about this case previously, but it's been a while since I updated it, so I decided to create a new thread. I have continued to work on it in the past year, and have gotten many prototypes made. Hope you guys like it! My venture into the world of custom-designed cases began when I started building in the tiny Minibox M350 case. Being in a long-distance relationship, I needed something small and powerful so I can take my research with me on a 13-hour train ride every weekend. My pragmatic need for a portable PC soon developed into a full-on obsession as I find myself endlessly tweaking parts and designing mounts to cram as many components as I could into every last bit of space. It is from this obsession that "Inverse" was born. Shaped by the ethos of fitting the most performance and versatility into the smallest amount of space, Inverse is a sub-10L computer case that can accommodate a full-length graphics card, a 240mm closed-loop liquid cooler, 3.5" and 2.5" hard drives, and a SFX power supply. Its versatile internal layout accommodates hard-core gamers, enthusiasts enamored with water cooling, media hoarders looking to create their own home theater, and anyone in between. Its smooth yet eye-catching exterior will blend into and enhance any desktop or home theater setup. No exhaust holes on top for a smooth and unobtrusive look. __________________________________________________________________________ All intake holes on the bottom. __________________________________________________________________________ Patterned exhaust holes on the front and side gives a unique flair. __________________________________________________________________________ Internal components are inverted to allow a smooth top panel. __________________________________________________________________________ Monitors, speakers, and other desktop peripherals may be placed on top to created an integrated entertainment unit with minimal footprint. __________________________________________________________________________ Available in black, white, and possibly other colors. Let me know what you like! __________________________________________________________________________ Specifications: Dimension: 464mm x 308.5mm x 72mm (10.31L) Material: 2mm aluminum for the exterior, and 1.5mm steel for the interior skeleton. Inverse is designed with 4 interior configurations in mind, though other configurations are possible. 1) Gaming with air cooling i) Accommodates Mini-ITX motherboard. ii) Accommodates SFX or SFX-L power supply. iii) Accommodates one graphics card up to 12" (305mm) in length, 5.91" (150mm) in width, and 1.81" (46mm) in thickness. iv) Accommodate air coolers up to 55mm in height. v) Accommodate up to 3 x 3.5" drives and 4 x 2.5" drives. vi) Accommodate up to 2 120mm x 15mm case fans over the graphics card for added cooling. 2) Gaming with 120mm closed-loop liquid cooling i) Accommodates Mini-ITX motherboard. ii) Accommodates SFX or SFX-L power supply. iii) Accommodates one graphics card up to 12" (305mm) in length, 5.91" (150mm) in width, and 1.81" (46mm) in thickness. iv) Accommodate closed-loop liquid coolers with 120mm radiator and total thickness (including fan) of no more than 60mm. v) Accommodate up to 1-3 x 3.5" drives and 2-4 x 2.5" drives, depending on the height of the water block. vi) Accommodate up to 2 120mm x 15mm case fans over the graphics card for added cooling. 3) Gaming with 240mm closed-loop liquid cooling[/CENTER] i) Accommodates Mini-ITX motherboard. ii) Accommodates SFX or SFX-L power supply. iii) Accommodates one graphics card up to 12" (305mm) in length, 5.91" (150mm) in width, and 1.81" (46mm) in thickness. iv) Accommodate closed-loop liquid coolers with 240mm radiator and total thickness (including fan) of no more than 60mm. v) Accommodate up to 0-1 x 3.5" drives and 2-4 x 2.5" drives, depending on the height of the water block. vi) Accommodate up to 2 120mm x 15mm case fans over the graphics card for added cooling. 4) Media Storage i) Accommodates Mini-ITX motherboard. ii) Accommodates SFX or SFX-L power supply. v) Accommodate up to 6 x 3.5" drives and 8 x 2.5" drives. No ODD supported for any configuration. This is to maintain the smooth look of the exterior, as well as make room to accommodate a 240mm aio cooler. Project Status: 1) <Link Removed> 2) Case stand has been designed. May be included if indiegogo campaign goes well. FAQ: 1) Q: There are no exhaust holes on the top, only on the sides. Doesn't that go against "hot air rises"? How would that impact temperatures? A: The effects of hot air rising are negligible compared to the forces produced by fans. Please read this article for reference. 2) Q: You are drawing cold air in from the bottom only. How tall does the case feet have to be before heating becomes compromised? A: I did a study on this, and it suggests that the case feet just has to be above 9 mm in height, which is pretty standard. I own the Silverstone ML07, and its feet measure 10 mm in height. Here is the link to the study I did. I believe that we are nearly through the design process. As always, any feedback is welcome! It would be greatly helpful if anyone can point out any glaring flaws in the design, or make any suggestions. Thanks for reading!

Thanks! Someone on another forum suggested that since I'm using the very power-hungry R9 390, the reason the unshielded cables weren't working may be because they're having trouble pushing out the required power for the length. I have ordered a powered, unshielded PCIe riser cable to test if that's true.

Update 10/17/2015: Hey everyone, a quick update from me. I have done the PCIe riser test with 5 different risers: 1) 300mm unshielded PCIe riser cable. 2) 300mm unshielded PCIe riser cable wrapped in aluminum foil. 3) 300mm unshielded PCIe riser cable wrapped in EMI shielding tape. 4) 300mm LiHead Type B PCIe riser cable. 5) 500mm 3M PCIe riser cable. Basically, using each of these cables, I run Unigine Valley Benchmark and compare the scores attained. Here are my results: 1) System does not boot. 2) System does not boot. 3) System boots, but graphics crashes when running Unigine Valley. 4) System boots, and runs Unigine Valley Benchmark fine. Average FPS is about 89. 5) System boots, and runs Unigine Valley Benchmark fine. Average FPS is about 91. From this test, it is clear that DIY solutions to shielding the PCIe riser cable does not work. The LiHeat cable performs slightly worse than the 3M cable, but at less than half the price. Therefore, I think the LiHeat cables are what we'll be bundling with the !nverse case. Now we need to see what kind of bulk discount we can get. Thanks for reading!

Cases could and should be smaller!

Update 10/13/2015: Put a 50" TV overtop the !nverse Prototype. Here are some photos: As can be seen, the case holds the TV over it with no problem. Also finished the fitment tests. Here are some photos: Air Cooling Configuration: If using SFX PSU or SFX-L PSU, this configuration fits 3 x 3.5" hard drive and 2 x 2.5" hard drive. 120mm AIO Cooling Configuration: If using SFX PSU, this configuration fits 2 x 3.5" hard drive and 2 x 2.5" hard drive. If using SFX-L PSU, this configuration fits 1 x 3.5" hard drive and 2 x 2.5" hard drive. 240mm AIO Cooling Configuration: If using either SFX or SFX-L PSU, this configuration fits 2 x 2.5" hard drive. Media Storage Configuration: If using SFX PSU, this configuration fits 8 x 3.5" hard drive and 4 x 2.5" hard drive. if using SFX-L PSU, this configuration fits 7 x 3.5" hard drive and 4 x 2.5" hard drive.

Right now, it just barely won't fit the Tri-X. However, I'm planning to add a few mm's in that dimension for the next design iteration, so rest assured that it will fit in the final version.

Good plan. Buy a car so you can drive to microcenter!

lol time to save up for a new build?

Hey man, thanks a lot for your kind words! If it's your dream to design a custom case, you shouldn't worry about it being too hard or needing prior knowledge. I started off having completely zero idea how to design a case. You just have to keep working at it and asking people for feedback until you get something that is good. Definitely go for it, I'm rooting for you! And if you have any questions, don' hesitate to contact me. I'm more than happy to help out

Haha, let me finish the final design iteration first