Alright, so I’ve been trying to settle on a layout for the components for a while now. The faster I figure this out, the faster I can move forward. I’m feeling a bit of paralysis by indecision…
The biggest factors are build ease, component compatibility, expansion possibility and size.
For the size, I’ve been coming to the realization that overall volume doesn’t tell all the story. The footprint has a big impact on the desk space it needs. Also, if one of the dimensions is very large, it becomes very hard to transport and feels “big”. So in terms of feel, the best seems to be somewhere between a cube a tall tower.
While at first I was thinking that limiting component selection to create the smallest case was the way to go. The more that becomes a pre-built system and the more that system is perceived as hard to build in. Looking at online forums, even in small form factor builds, too many limitations give certain cases an unfriendly reputations. These cases don’t allow you to bring over existing hardware, may have some incompatibility and may not allow you to use future components.
To test out different configurations. I made rough foam core models of the core components of the PC. After seeing the overall envelope that would be required for different configurations, I’ve settled on a side-by-side configuration that seems to be very well regarded on the Ncase M1.
This configuration allows for a good balance of the aforementionned criteria. It may not be the smallest but it should be quite easy to build in and work well with a wide variety of components.
SFX and SFX-L power supplies should be compatible. ATX may be possible with an extra short card. Full length graphics cards should also be compatible. Lastly, CPU cooler choices are quite decent as there is quite a bit of space from the motherboard out. Both 120 and 240mm radiator coolers should be compatible.
The cool thing about a setup like this is that using smaller components allows for other components to be put in. Say you use a short GPU, then you can put an additional SSD. If you sacrifice the 3.5" drive bay, you can put in a double radiator.
As for the architecture of the case, I still really like the idea of a mix of aluminium and large plastic parts. I think this could make for a distinctive look as well as a rigid product.
One way to use the mix of material would be a sturdy plastic base, internal plastic columns that would act as T-slots where the PC components could be attached. An aluminium sleeve could provide covering and structure to the internal and have a sturdy plastic part on top to close everything up.
Next step, more directed ideation now that I’ve settled on component layout.