B L A C K B I R D

[Rosinbole]

 

 

 

Introduction

Spoiler

 

Oh god, here we go again, none the wiser since my last project apparently.

 

So... It seems that a yearly build is becoming quite the habbit for me!

 

Since the disappointing end to my last project around december of 2018, I've been designing, scrapping, redesigning a scrapped design, designing something completely new because of a fatal flaw in the old-new design, and scrapping that design once again, only to take it up a month later and start all over... I think you get it.

 

This is the process which I've repeated over and over and over again for the last half year.

 

Something happened one day though, not that long ago, when I was peacefully and possibly quite bored sitting in a classroom - I got a great idea, possibly one of my best yet (not really), and over the last couple of months, that idea has come all the way from a quick sketch in my notebook to this moment right now, me sitting here and typing out this first forum post about this brand new, glorious, and as always, very overwhelming scratch-built project.

 

 

Scratch built case specifications:

 

7.23L excluding raised sidepanels

8.97L including raised sidepanels

 

100% anodized CNC milled aluminum structure

- main structure will be entirely 12mm panels

- inside structure will be 3mm panels

 

2x 4mm thick tinted tempered glass panels

 

Entirely assembled with metric countersunk-

and metric thumb-screws

 

 

Hardware specifications:

 

Custom modded Asus X470-i motherboard

AMD Ryzen 7 2700x CPU

2X8GB of 3GHz G.Skill TridentZ RGB

Gigabyte GTX 1070 MINI ITX OC 8GB

Samsung 512GB 950 PRO M.2 NVME SSD

450W G-unique Archdaemon + unlimited brick combo as power supply

 

 

Watercooling loop:

 

Alphacool Eisbaer LT solo

Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 triple 80mm X-Flow Radiator

(3x) Noiseblocker NB-BlacksilentPRO PCP 4-pin PWM 80x15mm fans

Exclusively low profile koolance fittings

Koolance QD3 quick disconnect fitting for filling, topping off, and draining

 

 

 

Worry not, for the build log will soon begin!

 

 

Thanks to Josh of NFC for lending me his beautiful skyslot design for this project!

[Mbowen]

I follow Josh over at NFC but haven't seen this design before. What is it? New I presume?

[Rosinbole]

On 8/20/2019 at 9:43 PM, Mbowen said:

I follow Josh over at NFC but haven't seen this design before. What is it? New I presume?

Doesn't have anything with Josh or NFC to do other than that I thought his skyslots were cool and that we made a little deal for me to use the originals.

[Rosinbole]

I've built and used the PC in the state it was in in the original post for quite a bit (even though I haven't been good at updating the build logs), and I've made quite a bit of changes - both performance and usability wise. Among the changes are:

 

• A completely new front panel design allowing for substantially larger fans and incredibly improved airflow.
• Top and bottom covers on two structural pieces instead of single solid panels on the top and bottom. This eases assembly by a considerable amount.

I'm also thinking about adding the GPU into the loop by converting it into a single slot card with a waterblock and adding a slim 120mm rad with a 15mm fan behind it. One thing at a time though.

 

I'm waiting for some new hardware to fit on the new front panel design (should arrive in the coming week), so for now I've made a slideshow of the assembly to please your eyes. Because I'm only home in the weekends, I saw no use in building the entire PC to "completion" just to disassemble it again on saturday when I come home. This is only to give and idea of how the case is designed and built.

 

The case assembled

 

 

 

Notice that the screws holding the radiator assembly together are too long - this is because I'm waiting for thicker fans to arrive.

 

The assembly

 

Just for kicks, I laid most of the hardware and all of the case components out on the floor. Don't worry, no PCB's are touching carpet, and I took proper care when assembling the PC.

 

 

I will start by assembling the front panel. This is the lower front panel part in the new design with the powerbutton mounted.

 

 

 

The lower half of the radiator mount is mounted to the lower front panel assembly (had to split the rad mount because of my printers print volume).

 

 

The process is repeated for the upper half of the front panel.

 

 

Here comes the hard part. The front panel has to be assembles with the fans, fan covers, two halves of the front panel, and radiator all "floating" in 3D space before the parts can be secured with a set of long screws. With the new front panel design, I've made room for 25mm fans. Those will be put in when they come in the mail.

 

 

 

Now the top and bottom structural pieces must be assembled. For clarification, this is the top part.

 

 

 

Process is repeated with the bottom part.

 

 

Sidepanel mounts are assembled on to the top and bottom.

 

 

The case feet are mounted on the bottom panel.

 

 

The bottom structural piece can now be mounted to the front panel assembly.

 

 

The GPU-backplate is mounted on the bottom structural piece.

 

 

The back panel is mounted to the case.

 

 

The top structural piece is mounted to the case.

 

 

The motherboard tray is mounted to the case.

 

 

Struts are secured between the GPU-backplate and motherboard tray. This adds an incredible amount of stability.

 

 

Top cover is mounted on the case.

 

 

Bottom cover with the case feet attached is mounted on the case.

 

 

Motherboard is mounted.

 

 

GPU is mounted.

 

 

TG sidepanels are put on.

 

 

[Mbowen]

That. is. BEAUTIFUL. 

Plans to sell or make the files public? 

[Rosinbole]

31 minutes ago, Mbowen said:

That. is. BEAUTIFUL. 

Plans to sell or make the files public? 

 

Thank you man!

 

Files are public.

https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/20334-blackbird-mini-itx-scratch-built-pc-project

 

Unless you've got earily similar hardware to me, I wouldn't recommend you to just begin printing all of the parts. If you want to modify the design to fit your hardware, go ahead!

[Rosinbole]

Changelog

 

* Slim Noiseblocker fans changed to new Noctua NF-A8 Chromax fans.

 

* Watercooling tubing has been sleeved.

 

* New and cleaner cable routing.

 

Upcoming changes

 

* New GTX 1070 with a bitspower water cooling block.

 

* Possibly the addition of an additional 120mm radiator in the system.

 

Pictures

 

 

New sleeved 6x10mm tubes.

 

 

Rad with the new Noctua fans. Note that the temporary fan grills have been taken off the fans in installing the rad, as they were in fact just temporary.

 

 

New sleeved tubes seen from the CPU side of the case.

 

 

New sleeved tubes seen from the GPU side of the case.

 

 

New routing for the fan cables.

 

 

New routing for the cables over the motherboard.

 

 

Finished build without panels attached.

 

 

Finished build seen from the GPU side.

 

 

Finished build seen from the CPU side.

 

 

Finished build up and running.

 

Cooling performance

 

I left the documentation on this PC (Blackbird), and next time I have access to it is in two weeks. I'm writing this from my laptop. You'll have to excuse me and trust my word.

 

Prime95:

 

A peak temp of 48C was reached after 15-20 minutes of 100% CPU load.

 

On about the 30 minute mark it settled on hovering from 43-45C, still at 100% load, and it seemed to become stable at this temperature range.

Due to the new Noctuas, the loop was dead silent too. I couldn't at all hear it over a light drizzle outside.

 

I'm very pleased.

[Mbowen]

Saw some of these picks on the Gunique discord the other day! Keep it up!

 

[Pickles von Brine]

Hm... This is one sweet build!

[Klefth]

Wow, this thing is BEAUTIFUL. Great job. Also, that tiny rad is adorable and it's given me some ideas... 

[Rosinbole]

Glad to inspire!

Thanks for all the praise guys!

[RasmusDC]

could integrate 4 magnets in the front white mounts, so you could have a sheet metal part cut out as a front mesh, with a design, if you wanted to protect the fanblades, and to change the look..

 

it looks GREAT.