[Spotswood]

I've been working on the design of a wooden case to house water cooled rigs. The design is unique because the radiator intakes are fed by built-in air ducts. Thus, fan noise is blocked by the outer layer of wood. It should be very quiet (near "silent"?) because the case is practically a case-within-a-case.

Even though there are a lot of the moving parts in a water cooled rig, the design of this case should make it quieter than most. Do you think this is just a hair-brained idea or an idea worthy of further investigation/design?

Your thoughts/comments/suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[Aaron_Henderson]

I like it, very nice. Only thing I wonder about though is if you can get enough airflow with only a 0.75" gap? I would almost double that, I could be way off though.

 

[Vostro]

In for sure! Cant wait to see how this turns out. I have always wanted to make a nice wooden case!

 

[Mikecdm]

I don't know if you'd have enough intake for the fans, but I'd think that you also need some exhaust in the case. That heat needs to go somewhere or else it's just going to build up inside the case. The motherboard also needs some sort of cooling. It doesn't have to be active cooling but you need to get the heat out.

Other than that, it looks like a great idea and has the potential to be a lovely case.

 

[G|F.E.A.D|Killa]

dude, that case looks like win, but put atleast a fan in the rear to help remove the rad air.

 

[ModMinded]

I like the joinery you have planned. looks intricate, but very doable.
Like the others said, more exhaust seems called for.
I like the way you have the wires hidden through the slots/double layer of the side panel/mobo tray..
I'm assuming you'll be mounting the fans inbetween the wood and rads, not in the ducts, right? (You don't want to obstruct that space.) Also, can you hide the fan cables in the walls as well?

 

[Spotswood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikecdm I don't know if you'd have enough intake for the fans, but I'd think that you also need some exhaust in the case. That heat needs to go somewhere or else it's just going to build up inside the case. The motherboard also needs some sort of cooling. It doesn't have to be active cooling but you need to get the heat out. Other than that, it looks like a great idea and has the potential to be a lovely case.

Quote:

Originally Posted by G|F.E.A.D|Killa dude, that case looks like win, but put atleast a fan in the rear to help remove the rad air.

If I widen the case just a smidgen, a 140mm fan will fit in the back which should make it cool and quiet.

 

[AlexLee277]

nice design.. waiting for u to start working...

 

[Kavourdoukos]

Excellent idea.Go on try it.

 

[qaz393]

off topic, which program did u do that with?

 

[LiquidForce]

If the intake isn't large enough there will be a lot of noise even with the silent design. I'd make that intake atleast 2-4 times larger

edit: also there is no exhaust

 

[Microsis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by qaz393 off topic, which program did u do that with?

I believe that is Google Sketchup

 

[Spotswood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexLee277 nice design.. waiting for u to start working...

Ugh. Now I can't decide which case to build first.

 

[doat]

I hope you use hardwood and sand it down. That will be a pretty heavy rig lol but nice idea.

 

[Interpolation]

Aesthetically speaking this is a great idea for a custom case. I agree that the ambient noise of components would be reduced dramatically. A good rule of thumb when working with wood is to avoid flush mounting any components (rads especially) on it ruining their ability for heat dissapation. Cyberdruid has made quite a few insprational wood sig rigs, he might be able to help you out with this build and drop you some decent advice on getting the most out of this concept. (+1 for the initial design btw)

 

[volcomx2]

Great start, well thought. +1 And good luck with the build. I can't wait for the results!