Project Orthrus - Smallest SLI mATX case (V2)

Temporary custom loop with soft tubing done and running .... man ... it gets toasty with 7700k @ 4.5Ghz + 2 x 1080ti's let me tell you that ...

I don't think that's toasty at all. The cpu gets a little warm, but not nearly enough to cause any concern whatsoever.
 
Looks amazing---but I expect will be expensive all-in once it goes into production. Really awesome job designing it.
 
Hey,

I like what you got going on here. I've been hanging out at the Sentry project for some time now and will be happy with that, however, you do offer a more utility for just over twice the volume as Sentry which is interesting and I'd love to learn more through observation and questions.

I tried to scan this thread for a mention of price but what do you think? Prototyping is... yeah, but what about large batches?

I noticed you routed cables through a hole or two, specifically the HDMI. What would happen to the hole in the back of the case if we only wanted to use one GPU? Would that simply be left there? I wouldn't particularly mind if I could use it to route other cables in case I wanted to use more PCIE devices, assuming the single GPU setup would use the slot near the bottom of the MB, leaving room for other devices.

If we wanted to, could we use a 120m AIO for the CPU, near the top of the front, and throw a 120m fan under it to feed the GPU? Personally I wouldn't overclock and in this situation I'd optimize for silence.

53mm height for CPU cooler. Why not the C7?

Would it be possible to throw some audio jacks in place of the USB 2.0 passthrough if we wanted it while still keeping the USB 3.0 passthrough?


Hope it's not too much or questions you've had to answer many times over.
 
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Its really hard for me to estimate price right now, as I'm still thinking how to bundle it (1 pcie riser, 2 pcie risers, sli cables etc ...)

The hole in the back of the case would stay there. It is hardly visible as it is the diameter of a hdmi cable and its directly under the power supply.

If you wanted tol you could use a 120, AIO for the CPU but on the bottom front only, because the hoses have no way of being routed in the top slot.

The C7 could work. At the time of writing the original post I dont think I was aware of the C7.

I'm thinking the front panel will probably be redesigned before final release anyway.
 
Its really hard for me to estimate price right now, as I'm still thinking how to bundle it (1 pcie riser, 2 pcie risers, sli cables etc ...)

Fair enough. I hope someone cuts you a deal, honestly. Protocase is amazing but dang.

The hole in the back of the case would stay there. It is hardly visible as it is the diameter of a hdmi cable and its directly under the power supply.

Yeah I'm not to worried. I actually like that there is that option because if need be, people can make their own external audio jacks.

If you wanted to you could use a 120, AIO for the CPU but on the bottom front only, because the hoses have no way of being routed in the top slot.

That's awesome. I really like the design. The two fans remind me of Corsair's airflow cases. With a 120m AIO and 120m fan feeding the GPU, I think this case would do pretty well.

I'm thinking the front panel will probably be redesigned before final release anyway.

Yeah I don't blame you there.


So what about the server PSU? From hat I could tell that PSU you're using is 1.6 inches whereas a SFX PSU is 2.5 inches. The case would be taller but with SFX you could probably fit either another fan on top.. or more space for drives. Sorry if this comes off as disrespectful, like you haven't brooded over this before, only trying to give my feedback. I like your case, I think you're doing a pretty good job.
 
Sorry if this comes off as disrespectful, like you haven't brooded over this before, only trying to give my feedback. I like your case, I think you're doing a pretty good job.

Not at all. Don't be silly. I love feedback because it brings out the pain points in the design. Sometimes hearing it from someone else motivates me to go back to the drawing board and evaluate the options. Feedback is always welcome ! I appreciate people who take the time to make the project better.
 
So glad you widened this out.
Now if I someone will put out a SLI capable x370 matx board I'll be building.
 
Good job LukeD on the linus video. You "just" got 1M views. So much free exposure.
 
I actually signed up to this forum because of this project, it turned up in a Gizmodo article when i was googling for 'small mATX case gaming'. I've been holding off on my planned upgrade ever since... :-D

Great work, Luke. Can't wait to see how it evolves!
 
Finally an update ! Yaaaaay :)

So I'm excited to share with you guys features that I've hinted at, and some I managed to sneak in over the last couple of weeks.
Protoclaus has been more than generous in allowing me to make these additional modifications and getting it to my doorstep before Christmas :) Amazing work by Protocase.

Now the new features:
- Front I/O is totally modular entirely composed of keystone compatible jacks. This way you can mix match I/O as required (USB3, USBC, HDMI, etc) - what do you guys think ?
- SFX-L PSU support
- Additional 3 x 2,5" HDD support (on top of the already 2 x 2,5" HDD support) if you use a SFX-L PSU
- Improved ITX board support and PCIe riser support.

Some small changes that may go unnoticed:
- The radiator bracket is a part of the centre divider in the case: adding rigidity and manufacturing simplicity. It is also divided in half (if we want to call it that)
- There's more holes in the middle divider of the case to allow for cable management from ITX boards

And now for some pics:


 
Looking forward to more info about this case. Finally a case that I really want. I have a Dan A4 and was considering a build with the Ncase M1, but mITX boards are really limiting in expansion. I want 4x DIMM slots, more PCIe slots for HBAs or RAID cards, and enough room for liquid cooling.

Cerberus didn't quite work out for me, but now i'm really interested in this case. Keep up the good work!
 
This looks amazing. Nice.

I was going to use Protocase to build a custom compact NAS but the cost was bonkers for just one. I want something like the U-NAS 810 bit with more room in the back for a 240mm AIO solution, SFX PSU and a fully isolated and separately ventilated drive bay assembly.
 
will be excited to hear of any updates... definitely in to buy one of these when completed
 
Any updates on this? very interested.

Also if I may ask which motherboard did you use? I have a hard time finding a mobo that can do 8x/8x PCIE at mATX size.
 
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