Maybe My Case is Too Small

[byalexandr]

Some of you probably know me, as well as my 6.2L chassis that I designed and fabricated. I love the case so much, it's pretty to look at, and it's by far the smallest case on the market that holds a full height GPU and SFX PSU and what not.

 

This is the case if you haven't seen it already, next to a PS3 to show it's size:

 

But, as much as I love the case, I didn't really consider (thoroughly) that my GPU choice would be extremely limited. The most powerful card currently available that fits in the chassis is none other than the R9 Nano. But for $500, it doesn't live up to it's price anymore, especially considering the GTX 1070 is around $400 and eats a Titan X. Money isn't a problem at all, as I have a job now, but I don't really want to over spend on the GPU and have a GPU that's $200 cheaper completely destroy it. But the 1070 obviously doesn't fit in the case, and I doubt the 480/480X AMD is hopefully paper releasing later on today will be as short as the Nano either.

 

So I was thinking of either making a new case, still super small, I will have to come up with a way to engineer this one to be close to the same size. Or keep this one and wait for a short card, one that is considerably more powerful than the Nano with all of this new architecture stuff. Building a new case will be no trouble, I have all summer to do it, and I have the proper tools to do it as you can see in the photo above. But I do love my current case, so there's that.

 

What do you guys think? I'm interested to hear, but please read and actually form an opinion, this is my rig and my passion (building SFF PCs, that is). Plus I don't know what I'll do with this case if I do make a new one.

 

Thanks.

 

Edit: I forgot to mention, my current GPU is an R9 380 Compact from Sapphire. I bought it as a place holder for a more powerful card, that card being the R9 Nano. These two cards are the only ones that fit in this case. But I didn't realize how large the performance improvement would be in this new generation of graphics cards. I don't even like Nvidia but the 1070's performance per dollar is more than enough to make me switch.

[ItsMinJunLol]

How about using a external graphics card? Or do a DIY by using a pci-e extender and mounting the 1070 / 1080 somewhere else, like idk, under your desk?

[IT'S JUST A GAME BRO]

6 minutes ago, byalexandr said:

Some of you probably know me, as well as my 6.2L chassis that I designed and fabricated. I love the case so much, it's pretty to look at, and it's by far the smallest case on the market that holds a full height GPU and SFX PSU and what not.

 

This is the case if you haven't seen it already, next to a PS3 to show it's size:

 

But, as much as I love the case, I didn't really consider (thoroughly) that my GPU choice would be extremely limited. The most powerful card currently available that fits in the chassis is none other than the R9 Nano. But for $500, it doesn't live up to it's price anymore, especially considering the GTX 1070 is around $400 and eats a Titan X. Money isn't a problem at all, as I have a job now, but I don't really want to over spend on the GPU and have a GPU that's $200 cheaper completely destroy it. But the 1070 obviously doesn't fit in the case, and I doubt the 480/480X AMD is hopefully paper releasing later on today will be as short as the Nano either.

 

So I was thinking of either making a new case, still super small, I will have to come up with a way to engineer this one to be close to the same size. Or keep this one and wait for a short card, one that is considerably more powerful than the Nano with all of this new architecture stuff. Building a new case will be no trouble, I have all summer to do it, and I have the proper tools to do it as you can see in the photo above. But I do love my current case, so there's that.

 

What do you guys think? I'm interested to hear, but please read and actually form an opinion, this is my rig and my passion (building SFF PCs, that is). Plus I don't know what I'll do with this case if I do make a new one.

 

Thanks.

 

Edit: I forgot to mention, my current GPU is an R9 380 Compact from Sapphire. I bought it as a place holder for a more powerful card, that card being the R9 Nano. These two cards are the only ones that fit in this case. But I didn't realize how large the performance improvement would be in this new generation of graphics cards. I don't even like Nvidia but the 1070's performance per dollar is more than enough to make me switch.

Do you already have the case?

[pinksnowmanshandle]

2 minutes ago, ItsMinJunLol said:

How about using a external graphics card? Or do a DIY by using a pci-e extender and mounting the 1070 / 1080 somewhere else, like idk, under your desk?

That'd be an option I suppose.

[byalexandr]

1 minute ago, ItsMinJunLol said:

How about using a external graphics card? Or do a DIY by using a pci-e extender and mounting the 1070 / 1080 somewhere else, like idk, under your desk?

The point is to have an SFF system, not some modular mounted goofy stuff. I take my PC to my friends' houses a lot, and I like having a small system that not only is very portable but also pushes the boundaries of what SFF accomplishes.

 

That being said about the PCI-E extender, I was thinking of making a case sort of similar to the Steam Machine prototype from a few years back. Very compact, I think I can make it even more compact if I tried.

[pinksnowmanshandle]

1 minute ago, IT'S JUST A GAME BRO said:

Do you already have the case?

Yeah he made it from scratch...

[Monkey Dust]

I'd wait. There might be an ITX 1070 along soon, though with 8GB of VRAM I'm not sure if they could make it as short as the ITX 970s? AMD Vega could likely use HBM2 Vram and hence be as short as the Nano. If you need something now I'd try to find a cheap ITX 970 to keep you gaming.

[IT'S JUST A GAME BRO]

1 minute ago, wcreek said:

Yeah he made it from scratch...

Ah okay.....

[byalexandr]

2 minutes ago, IT'S JUST A GAME BRO said:

Do you already have the case?

Yes, the one in the photo. I designed and fabricated it from scratch, I have a whole build log and everything. It's just that my GPU choice is very limited, and I want a taste of that new 16nm and 14nm GPU architecture.

[IT'S JUST A GAME BRO]

1 minute ago, byalexandr said:

Yes, the one in the photo. I designed and fabricated it from scratch, I have a whole build log and everything. It's just that my GPU choice is very limited, and I want a taste of that new 16nm and 14nm GPU architecture.

Okay i'll see what cards can go in it.

[byalexandr]

1 minute ago, Monkey Dust said:

I'd wait. There might be an ITX 1070 along soon, though with 8GB of VRAM I'm not sure if they could make it as short as the ITX 970s? AMD Vega could likely use HBM2 Vram and hence be as short as the Nano. If you need something now I'd try to find a cheap ITX 970 to keep you gaming.

See, I'd say the same thing, but even then I don't know if it will fit. Even those 970 ITX cards don't fit, they're too tall (as in the PCB is too tall), and the power connector facing up makes it even taller. That's why my 380 and the Nano are the only cards that fit in my case.

 

So even if the 1070 ITX came out, I have another gamble as to whether or not it will fit (it most likely won't).

[byalexandr]

2 minutes ago, IT'S JUST A GAME BRO said:

Okay i'll see what cards can go in it.

The R9 380 Compact and the R9 Nano, that's it. I know what cards fit in it lol, unless you're suggesting I wait to see what new cards might fit. In that case I doubt anything will come along.

[IT'S JUST A GAME BRO]

1 minute ago, byalexandr said:

The R9 380 Compact and the R9 Nano, that's it. I know what cards fit in it lol, unless you're suggesting I wait to see what new cards might fit. In that case I doubt anything will come along.

Yeah that was what i was searching for

[IT'S JUST A GAME BRO]

1 minute ago, byalexandr said:

The R9 380 Compact and the R9 Nano, that's it. I know what cards fit in it lol, unless you're suggesting I wait to see what new cards might fit. In that case I doubt anything will come along.

And just do what u think is the best it seems like your more skilled anyway....

[IT'S JUST A GAME BRO]

4 minutes ago, byalexandr said:

The R9 380 Compact and the R9 Nano, that's it. I know what cards fit in it lol, unless you're suggesting I wait to see what new cards might fit. In that case I doubt anything will come along.

Maybe the R9 Fury X would go in it?

[byalexandr]

1 minute ago, IT'S JUST A GAME BRO said:

And just do what u think is the best it seems like your more skilled anyway....

Yeah I suppose. I really love this case though, it's almost a world record if anything, I haven't come across anything even close to mine in size.

 

But I can't fit that 1070 in there, and I'd really like to have one.

8 minutes ago, Monkey Dust said:

I'd wait. There might be an ITX 1070 along soon, though with 8GB of VRAM I'm not sure if they could make it as short as the ITX 970s? AMD Vega could likely use HBM2 Vram and hence be as short as the Nano. If you need something now I'd try to find a cheap ITX 970 to keep you gaming.

Also, Vega and the Nano successor are probably coming out well into next year I'd imagine. I can't wait that long for a GPU upgrade, I planned on upgrading this summer. All of my friends already have more powerful cards than me and they haven't even upgraded yet lol

[IT'S JUST A GAME BRO]

1 minute ago, byalexandr said:

Yeah I suppose. I really love this case though, it's almost a world record if anything, I haven't come across anything even close to mine in size.

 

But I can't fit that 1070 in there, and I'd really like to have one.

Also, Vega and the Nano successor are probably coming out well into next year I'd imagine. I can't wait that long for a GPU upgrade, I planned on upgrading this summer. All of my friends already have more powerful cards than me and they haven't even upgraded yet lol

Okay you do you.

[byalexandr]

3 minutes ago, IT'S JUST A GAME BRO said:

Maybe the R9 Fury X would go in it?

Fury X definitely doesn't fit in my case.

[IT'S JUST A GAME BRO]

1 minute ago, byalexandr said:

Fury X definitely doesn't fit in my case.

Okay lol

[ImBleu]

Nvidia released GTX970 "mini" cards (well, Asus and a few others did at least). Perhaps wait it out for a GTX1070 'mini' card?

[TeoIzAwezome]

Why don't you make a new version that's thinner, but wider/taller with a GPU compartment?

[byalexandr]

21 minutes ago, ThatCoolBlueKidd said:

Nvidia released GTX970 "mini" cards (well, Asus and a few others did at least). Perhaps wait it out for a GTX1070 'mini' card?

The 970 Mini cards are too tall, I'm almost certain the 1070 cards will follow suit.

 

21 minutes ago, TeoIzAwezome said:

Why don't you make a new version that's thinner, but wider/taller with a GPU compartment?

That's what I was thinking.

[DarkBlade2117]

I would say wait for the RX 480 but the chances of that competing with the 1070 is very slim, I'd wait a bit before going out and spending money on making a new case and just see what happens. The "mini" 1070s may be smaller, the RX 480 MAY blow us away ( hopefully ) and the for all we need AMD, as the word MICRO is in their name, the RX 490/x could hopefully be small and efficient and take over the 1070. The world may never know, and I tell people all the time waiting isn't the answer, but by then we know enough information to whether or not is is enough information but as of now, we don't know barely anything about AMD and can't say what the board partners will do with the 1070.

[TheRandomness]

1 hour ago, byalexandr said:

The point is to have an SFF system, not some modular mounted goofy stuff. I take my PC to my friends' houses a lot, and I like having a small system that not only is very portable but also pushes the boundaries of what SFF accomplishes.

 

That being said about the PCI-E extender, I was thinking of making a case sort of similar to the Steam Machine prototype from a few years back. Very compact, I think I can make it even more compact if I tried.

Wait for the RX 480, if the power consumption is that low then having someone make an ITX version would make sense.

[byalexandr]

1 hour ago, TheRandomness said:

Wait for the RX 480, if the power consumption is that low then having someone make an ITX version would make sense.

Well the Nano was smaller because the HBM didn't take up as much PCB real estate as GDDR memory. That being said my 380 Compact is about as small and it has GDDR chips as well so who knows. I'm going to wait for tonight's livestream, but from the leaks so far I can already tell that upon release it's going to be a full length card.