Custom 8.7 Liter SFF Case (w/ 8700K and Titan X Pascal)

[Carrotcakee]

 

Hello, after first posting on this forum 4 years ago about creating a super compact computer case, which sadly never happened when I realized how many measurements had to be exact if everything was going to fit. I am now back here with my journey from wanting to build a super compact computer case to building a huge 54-liter case and finally ending up building a tiny 8.7-liter case that you can see here.

 

After getting scared of the number of measurements I decided to give up on the case idea and just water cool the computer I had. So in 2015 Snow 1.0 was created. This was my first-time water cooling and I learned a lot from it.

 

Pictures of Snow 1.0:

 

One and a half years later in late 2016 I got access to a CNC plasma cutter and decided it was time to try again. At the time I was in love with the cases from Parvum Systems but I didn't like that they were made from acrylic and not aluminum like my previous Phanteks Enthoo Evolv. So after studying their cases, I managed to create a 3D model of the case I wanted to build. All measurements had to be eyeballed since Parvum did not provide any.

 

Here is my final 3D model and dxf of the completed case: 

 

 

And some pictures:

 

The case was cut on a CNC plasma cutter in 3mm thick aluminum. I then milled cubes from solid aluminum that I then drilled and tapped threads into. These were in all corners of the case to hold it together since I did not want to weld anything.

 

Some final pictures of how the Snow 2.0 turned out:

 

 

 

Fast forward to mid-2018 and I was tired of carrying around a huge 15Kg, 54 Liter computer everywhere. It was time for Snow 3.0 to happen. I took everything I learned from creating Snow 2.0 and started modeling my new SFF case. I wanted similar to the Dan case A4-SFX and the Louqe Ghost S1. I was more careful this time modeling since everything had to fit very snug this time around. Making cubes in every corner to screw it together would take too much space in the case. Since I don't own a welder for aluminum and I wanted the side panels to be magnetic I had to go with steel. The case was cut with a CNC water cutter for about 136 USD in 2mm thick steel. If you can, use a water cutter. Makes for way less sanding compared to plasma cutting. It will save you hours of sanding... trust me. 

 

Sadly I don't have many pictures of the building process of Snow 3.0 but here are some shots of the final case:

 

In each corner, there is a nut welded onto the case and a round-head bolt that I then place magnets onto to hold the side panels firmly onto the case. The bolts make for easy adjustment so that the side panel goes flush with the rest of the case.

 

 

Some specs and facts:

 

Snow 1.0 and 2.0:

Gigabyte GA-Z97 MX Gaming 5

Intel Core i7 4790K

8GB HyperX RAM

Nvidia GTX 780 Ti

80GB Intel SSD

1TB WD HDD

EVGA G2 Supernova 850W

Watercooling

 

Snow 3.0:

Msi Z370i Gaming Pro Carbon AC

Intel Core i7 8700K

16GB Corsair RAM

Nvidia GTX Titan X (Pascal)

500GB Samsung 850 Evo SSD

Corsair SF 600w

Cryorig C1 CPU air cooler

 

I’m more than happy to share any 3D models or dxf files if anyone would want them.

If there is any questions, feedback or something I missed, please let me know and I'll try to answer it!

 

 

[Jurrunio]

does the C1 cooler cool the 8700k adequately?

[Guest]

Very nice build.

[Carrotcakee]

32 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

does the C1 cooler cool the 8700k adequately?

If by adequately you mean 'not thermal throttle' then yes it does. I get about 70-85°c in a synthetic stress test but in games like GTA V it's only about 60°c. I think you would get lower c if you had a bigger case that had some airflow in it. I chose the cryorig c1 because it was the lowest height cooler that i believed could cool the 8700K. 

[itRealSnow]

very nice build you got there.

[Imbellis]

I'm working on a similarly laid out case - just a bit more tightened up an inconvenient.

Did you have any trouble with burrs after plasma/water cutting? I've gotten quite a few when I've dabbled with 'em.

[Jurrunio]

1 hour ago, Carrotcakee said:

If by adequately you mean 'not thermal throttle' then yes it does. I get about 70-85°c in a synthetic stress test but in games like GTA V it's only about 60°c. I think you would get lower c if you had a bigger case that had some airflow in it. I chose the cryorig c1 because it was the lowest height cooler that i believed could cool the 8700K. 

At stock frequency and voltages I assume? That's nice to hear (not the C7 at least). Is it loud though? My friend is stuck between C1 and Noctua's L12S. He doesnt like Noctua's beige fans, but the C7's loud fan also worries him.

[Carrotcakee]

7 hours ago, Imbellis said:

I'm working on a similarly laid out case - just a bit more tightened up an inconvenient.

Did you have any trouble with burrs after plasma/water cutting? I've gotten quite a few when I've dabbled with 'em.

With tightened up do you mean more compact? Because the way I've made mine it can't be any smaller with the components i have. It could be a little narrower if you used a lower cooler but then you would most likely thermal throttle the 8700K.

 

And like i said in the post, plasma makes way more messy cuts that you will have to sand a lot more, at least when i cut aluminium + you have to worry about the height of the plasma beam so the cut is straight and not angled. Waterjet/water cutter created super clean cuts with almost no burrs. I only had to sand the panels to remove some sharp edges and prep for painting.

[Carrotcakee]

6 hours ago, Jurrunio said:

At stock frequency and voltages I assume? That's nice to hear (not the C7 at least). Is it loud though? My friend is stuck between C1 and Noctua's L12S. He doesnt like Noctua's beige fans, but the C7's loud fan also worries him.

Yes at stock. I don't think i would want to overclock with this cooler. Maybe undervolt a little as ive seen that to reduce the temps a little on the 8700k.

It's not that loud, I'd say that my titan x with it's stock cooler is way louder.

I was stuck between the C1 and C7 but as i saw that the C7 didn't have enough watts to cool the C7 i had to go with the bigger C1. 

C1 is rated for 140w and L12s for 95w. Because of the temps i have with the c1 i would not recommend the noctua unless you manage to undervolt it or have really good case airflow. 

[DeLorian]

This looks sick

[pentotark]

snow 3 looks amazing!

[Tech_Dreamer]

love how simple it looks from the outside.

[Carrotcakee]

On 8/6/2018 at 4:14 AM, Tech_Dreamer said:

love how simple it looks from the outside.

That was kinda the goal. I wanted the computer to be able to fit into a modern house and look more like some decoration and not so much as a computer. 

[taker258]

Hi,i saw your case,it so amazing,can i get your files from case ?

[Carrotcakee]

3 hours ago, taker258 said:

Hi,i saw your case,it so amazing,can i get your files from case ?

No problem, I've answered your personal message with a link to the files!

[taker258]

21 hours ago, Carrotcakee said:

No problem, I've answered your personal message with a link to the files!

How did you assemble together the parts or its all magnetic? 

[itsmichael]

hey man! awesome case, would it be possible to send the files of your case? i'd obviously only use the files for personal usage.

[Carrotcakee]

On 1/10/2019 at 11:35 PM, taker258 said:

How did you assemble together the parts or its all magnetic? 

A bit of a late response haha... But to answer your question, the white panels are simply welded together from the inside and the copper colored side panels are held on with 4 strong magnets on each side. Again, sorry that it took me a year to answer

[Carrotcakee]

8 hours ago, itsmichael said:

hey man! awesome case, would it be possible to send the files of your case? i'd obviously only use the files for personal usage.

Hi, yeah of course, I’ve answered the message you sent me with a link to the files and some instructions 

[dayatz]

(removed double posts)

[dayatz]

the ITX build looks amazing, I plan to build something like that for my own using wood,
may I get the templates or files ?

[Carrotcakee]

On 2/2/2020 at 5:03 AM, dayatz said:

the ITX build looks amazing, I plan to build something like that for my own using wood,
may I get the templates or files ?

Hi, yeah sure. Send me a personal message and I’ll link you the files!

[fsociety667]

Hi! May I get the files for this as well? I plan on building one of these soon!