Passive 3D Printed PC Case with No Fans?

[@Incommensurabilities]

3:34 "my fingers are used to this" Subtle ;)

[@standupg4m3r]

When two favorite pass times collide!

[@SvDvorak]

Awesome that it actually worked, though maybe not well enough for that 65W CPU. It's absolutely a fascinating "case" design, more like a piece of furniture. Nice work!

[@standupg4m3r]

Hey thanks for the kind words!

[@P8qzxnxfP85xZ2H3wDRV]

Amazing project. You should definitely repeat this with the Noctua passive cooler. And also channel the airflow just through the heatsink.

[@standupg4m3r]

If Noctua sends me the heatsink, I’ll be happy to. ;)

[@HPinto79]

Nice... now you can add some led strips on the top part and you get an awsome floor lamp!

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks! Lots of people mentioning lighting. Expect a a follow up in the future.

[@xGARIDx]

You could use it as stand lamp also

[@standupg4m3r]

lol right?! Thanks for watching btw.

[@davidbrennan7422]

I love this as both an investigation of technical possibilities and PC case of sculture/furniture instead of just a variation on a rectangular prism. On the technical side, I suggest you consider adding additional vents on the cold/inlet side in increase the flow area and thus potentially the flow volume. You should check that the minimum cross-sectional area of inlet (your collected arched inlet openings at the bottom) is at least 150-200% of the minimum sectional area on the hot/exhaust side (which looks to be just downstream of the heatsink). This will help reduce inlet loses and ensure you aren't accidentally starving the heatsink of cool air when it could be getting more. To that end you might also want to move the PC further from the cutain so there is unimpeded airflow from all sides. Also you have the top half of the chimney opening out in diameter almost immediately after the heatsink. This will likely result in a reduction in flow velocity, which you want to avoid. Since your exhaust air is less dense than the inlet area, you want maximum exhaust velocity to maximize you inlet flow rate (conservation of momentum). Think about the shape of cooling towers in thermal power plants. I suggest you could achieve the same final diameter but with a gradual increase uniformally to the very top, rather than the faster expansion you have here. Lastly considering adjusting the height of the PC components relative to the floor. I'm not completely sure but you might find that you don't need as much exhaust length as you have and achieve similar results. On the aesthetic side, it looks beautiful, a very architectural look with a combination of modern and ancient geometric elements. Very nice!

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! During my research phase for this design, I quickly learned that mimicking cooling towers could only go so far, since they benefit greatly from winds near its top; this would simply not be possible in home without the use of a house fan of sorts. Thanks!

[@8koi245]

better than I expected to perform! congrats on the design and performance!

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! It felt great to have the hypothesis tested. There’s something really satisfying to have an idea materialize and work

[@elpeak7273]

this channel needs more subscribers man great video

[@standupg4m3r]

Hey I appreciate that so much. Thanks!

[@elpeak7273]

@@standupg4m3r no worries man you earned a sub keep up the good work

[@JosephJourdanHsu]

What if you put some lamps no the top of the case? It probably will heat the air and accelerate the cold air intake, making it more effective since the tempeture difference will be bigger, and the heat would be distant from the pc components so it will only benefit from the cooler air. Since the case is so tall and elegant, it migth work well as a lamp too, without changing the premise of - No moving parts-. If you ever make one, I would love to see how it turns out.

[@standupg4m3r]

Interesting idea! My electric bill would hate it, but your hypothesis sees ms sound to me too. Might be an east experiment to try too… ;)

[@P8qzxnxfP85xZ2H3wDRV]

Finally RGB will have an impact on performance! 😂

[@stocki_esy625]

i recently did some convection CFD at work. you might want to put the PC lower in your tower, as the air below your Heat source does not add to the convection. only the hot air above the heatsource has an effect. Really cool build and Video btw!

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! I already biased the PC lower than the “equator” but good to know I can go even lower. I might design and print a new base and add to the top then

[@stocki_esy625]

@@standupg4m3r and this will obviously also help with stability and the consequences of getting knocked over 😅

[@standupg4m3r]

@@stocki_esy625 100% I may or may not have already knocked it over... luckily the parts were out for the "Cute" build!

[@jakeharms1386]

Would be interesting to see if adding fairings above/below the PC to direct the air over components would help. Also perhaps a different intake design with a smoother transition to encourage laminar flow into the tower to minimize losses in the flow? Would love to see another version of this. Will probably be pursuing this myself for my next machine in a year or two.

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! And yes a baffle/duct of sort to only permit air from where I want to flow would probably be super helpful.

[@VascovanZeller]

It's absolutely wild that this channel has less than 1k subs given the quality put in. Congrats on your work. Would you consider testing this design with other heatsinks? What happens with a d15 for example?

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching and the encouragement! I am currently researching if it can fit or not.

[@My3DPrints-ve8zl]

a shroud that blocks air from flowing around the heat sink would be good you really want it to flow through it, also widen the base funneling outwards that will increase air flow and speed through the riser, awesome that you made a Ventura!!!

[@standupg4m3r]

Good call on restricting airflow only through the heatsink. Will probably try it out in the future. Unfortunately the widest extents of the form are as much as my printer can go in one piece; but good call on that too!

[@My3DPrints-ve8zl]

@@standupg4m3r could always design it in sections, but I do get not wanting to do it that way I have a Neprune Max and Plus to avoid it or gluing things or dealing with hassles of extra design time, the loss of simplicity makes more work in the end

[@ytmB4HyU4kUq]

seriously always thought about 3d printing an entire case for my personal build. hmmm, will need to look into this.

[@standupg4m3r]

It’s very fun and rewarding. Thanks for watching too!

[@bubblegumgun3292]

stuff is getting really avant garde and scientific

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! It will ebb and flow…. Next one is strange. Then 1st case of 2023 will be really exciting!

[@johnbernarddeleon5139]

Add more heat inserts!! So sick tho

[@standupg4m3r]

lol thanks a bunch!

[@mr.sunshine1444]

neat! it would be cool if you could do something similar with a lower TDP CPU, like maybe a laptop motherboard inside a smaller case? like a desktop case? something that was 15w - 30w. Very interesting video none the less :) Maybe you could add a funnel inside to direct the air to go directly into the CPU heatsink as well, like single fan pre-builts do.

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching and sharing the suggestions! My previous video had the case wall much closer to the heatsink to help “duct” it better like you mentioned. I may revisit this to try and optimize it. Best!

[@danhyde7501]

I think the airflow speed will make Bernoulli’s principle a negligible effect

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! I do also agree that the air velocity may not be fast enough to take advantage the Bernoulli's Effect.

[@barry1845]

This is very cool (no pun intended) congrats on your build and thanks for sharing. The chimney (stack) cooling was also featured in the original Mac, where one SJ is reported to have insisted on quiet operation., although the Mac did not make use of Bernoulli effect :=).

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! From my understanding the chimney effect requires a certain height but I used a Pringles can once before so they were on to something!

[@TheCyberSpidey]

What a cool design, it gave me high school physics flashbacks. Amazing implementation! I wonder how much difference having an intake or exhaust fan would make, at super low RPMs so the case stays virtually silent. I have an idea regarding integration of PC(s) in decor as well. I kinda want to make a faux fireplace and stuff it with a PC and NAS to make a very inefficient room heater lol. Loved the tower design btw, despite that being a secondary outcome of testing the stack effect for cooling.

[@standupg4m3r]

Such a cool idea you have for integration! I will have a follow up video in the future and will try out the ideas everyone has shared. Thanks!

[@blagishnessosity]

Really cool idea. I wonder how much more cooling could be had with active cooling like a single fan at the bottom.

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks! I’m planning on an update in the future and will try to incorporate yours and others cool ideas! Stay tuned!

[@zoro-i8u]

With an intake fan and a lamp at the top, this could actually be effective. Also, if it was made out of metal or had mesh at the bottom it could cool more effectively

[@blagishnessosity]

@@zoro-i8uwhy have a lamp on top?

[@zoro-i8u]

@@blagishnessosity The point is that with more heat at the top, there'll be more air intake at the bottom. A lamp, due to some inefficiency in energy conversion, will leak some heat, and therefore contribute to better performance.

[@andreaseriksen1247]

Cool project, and very nicely done. I see the modular construction as a positive as it lets you reprint only the middle section if required for redesigns, other motherboards, coolers, etc. Compared to the Scythe SCNJ-1000 Ninja, the currently available Noctua NH-P1 is twice the volume (and weight) so it might have be able to do even better. Or perhaps the stack effect would actually allow the use of a cooler with a closer, more standard fin spacing that wouldn't work well in an open bench setup.

[@standupg4m3r]

Great points and thanks for watching. Much appreciated!

[@seanwill2313]

I like the idea. I’m not sure if anyone else suggested this but maybe 1 200mm fan at the top and 1 200mm fan at the bottom of the case and set to their lowest RPM.

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for checking out the video! I am willing to bet that would help a lot! Follow video will be done in the future and I will try to cram in everyone’s great suggestions.

[@dumbkid234]

Great video! this was a really cool project

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching!

[@lukasznowak3337]

Great job. I absolutely want one :) Would you be able to measure temperatures with a few shorter heights of the chimney (just some segments removed)?

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching. I’ll try to do a follow up with all the great suggestions coming in. Stay tuned.

[@kagameen]

great design!

[@standupg4m3r]

Thank you! I appreciate that.

[@victorc1462]

This is amazing project. Wonder what would it take to also put a video card in there

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks so much! I may revisit this in the future with all the cool suggestions people shared here!

[@victorc1462]

@@standupg4m3r I think passive pc cooling systems are underrepresented, this project of yours is a real gem! Super cool!

[@barry1845]

I wonder if rather than constructing an entire case that was the chimney if you put a narrower tube with holes on the side just around the heat sink if that would result in a larger net airflow and hence cooler temps?

[@standupg4m3r]

I believe the stack effect requires height to work better, but an interesting idea. Thanks for sharing!

[@theRealBlahpers]

Loving my Prusa, but this video is making me jelly of that 300mm+ print bed....

[@standupg4m3r]

Don’t be too jelly with your consistent and well supported machine. Do you also find yourself fiddling, tinkering, and troubleshooting your Prusa rather than printing? lol PS - thanks so much for watching and interacting with my video!

[@Chris-oj7ro]

Cool experiment! The big logical flaw to me is that if the goal is silence, you could still use a fan and have better airflow. The base of the design would probably fit a 200mm fan and if run at a low speed it would be practically silent.

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching. Adding a quiet fan is very obvious (and the thermal testing with the super quiet fan already proved that). And if that’s what you want, check out the previous video before this one: How I Salvaged a Failed Project: 3D Printed PC Case kzbin.info/www/bejne/in_KhGd7iNeUrcU

[@azimuth2142]

Personally, I would stay with a fan on the heatsink and possibly attach a coloured light in the top of the case to help with the airflow. Epic case all the same. Maybe you could shorten it to fit on a desk.

[@standupg4m3r]

Hey thanks for watching! If I were to use the case on the daily I would definitely use a fan too. With your suggestion to shrink it, I’m wondering now at what height so we hit a point of diminishing returns?

[@azimuth2142]

@@standupg4m3r That is the question. It depends on the motherboard used etc etc. I use ATX with 4 drives, and going on that it would be about 2ft tall I think. obviously shorter with mATX and other small boards. I am inclined to run all external cabling vertically and then out of the case removing all stress points on connectors.

[@standupg4m3r]

@@azimuth2142 ATX with this case’s goals might be a stretch… but not impossible! ;)

[@Nedski42YT]

Just a thought.... attach aluminum foil sheets/strips to each heatsink fin. One foot extensions above and below the PC heatsink section of the tower should increase the surface area of the heatsink and might increase the airflow. I saw some thermally conductive tape and glue listed on Newegg and Amazon for less than $20. You would obviously need some sort of part to hold the aluminum sheets vertically. That 3D printer might be just the thing to make those parts! Just a thought.

[@standupg4m3r]

Neat idea!

[@DJProPlusMax]

Cool!

[@standupg4m3r]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.

[@kyle2841]

It looks like a fancy lamp. Just add some lights on top and you've got yourself an inconspicuous computer.

[@standupg4m3r]

Cool idea!!! Thanks for watching too.

[@jonny11bonk]

I would probably make a waterloop with a room radiator, considering the prices right now. Similar to what Linus did some time ago.

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! I have been thinking of this passive experiment for years now; this has also been in the back burner for years: www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/fxho2a/i_like_the_mora_but_if_im_going_big_im_going_big/ But stay tuned because summer is just right around the corner!

[@jonny11bonk]

@@standupg4m3r I mean, I feel like the summer had ended just yesterday and we already have snow 😄

[@RichardBetel]

I have some thoughts about the Bernoulli effect here... The narrowing will cause the air to speed up, for sure, but I wonder if the narrowing you have there is enough to make a meaningful difference. What's the change in radius there? I played with a calculator, and for a 10% reduction in the diameter of the pipe (300mm down to 270mm) , you get a 23% increase in air speed. I also wonder about pressure. You're basically trading airspeed for air pressure. I don't know if that's a good tradeoff? I think it is, I think you'd rather high flow over the heatsink.... I'm just not certain. Typically, chimneys narrow once, and then don't widen back up. When you widen back up, you increase pressure above the computer, slow down the air flow, and cool the rising air, which might reduce the stack effect... You might be better off staying narrow above the computer. Another question: Is your stack too high? The air cools as it rises. a quick search about draught (or draft. However you want to spell it!) suggests that if your chimney is too tall, the air cools too much before reaching the top, and you get reduced performance. measuring the temps at inlet and outlet might tell you something useful. Lastly, I'm not sure where to get one, but I think a very large, very slowly spinning fan at the top of the stack would probably do wonders. large and slow moves a big volume of air, and the low speed makes little noise. I realise it's not a passive case anymore, but a fan at 60rpm would probably be just as noiseless as no fan.

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts and ideas! I really appreciate it. I think it’s possible to try out a configuration where the diameter stays constant after the restriction. Regarding the height of the tower, the thermal camera still showed a consistent warmth, but I have I didn’t consider lining the inside with metallic reflective tape to further retain the heated air (similar to insulating exhaust pipes). Lastly, as shown in my tests and previous video to this, even strapping a “silent” without the tower is exponentially better than the passive setup, so adding to this monstrosity would without a be better! Again I appreciate your time and please stay tuned for a follow up!

[@GadgetyMV]

Very cool, and with stylish design, fulfilling multiple purposes! Love it. Would an even taller chimney result in better chimney/stack effect or would the air cool off too much before exiting? BTW the 5700G TDP of 65W uses up to 88W when all the cores are active and in turbo mode.

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching and the compliments! I am betting there is a point of diminishing returns regarding the height with exactly what you are referring too; the plastic can start absorbing and releasing the heat energy negating the stack effect eventually. I think seeing the heat radiating from the heat source level of the case is evidence of that. Thanks for pointing out the 88W value! That explains even more!

[@GadgetyMV]

@@standupg4m3r Thank you for the reply and for making this, very cool. Perhaps a very large 200 mm fan at the very bottom or at the very top set to the lowest possible RPM and temperature triggered could be added, or even something smaller like a 140 mm. I believe Noctua's 140mm emits less than 5 dB at it's lowest setting so it'll be silent to our ears unless the chimney amplifies the sound.

[@standupg4m3r]

@@GadgetyMV oh good idea! A follow up will be done.

[@GadgetyMV]

@@standupg4m3r Looking forward to it!

[@qlum]

Since the stack effect provides quite a bit of airflow, could it be that a larger tower cooler could even perform better than a cooler optimized for passive use. End of the day heat sinks for passive cooling are just spaced more to optimize for low airflow.

[@standupg4m3r]

100% sure that just by adding the 120mm fan back like in the stock setup would yield even better results than open air since, like you mentioned, the airflow within the tower is present. But a stock tower cooler without a fan... it will have to be tested since they are designed with pressure not just airflow in mind. I don't have one at hand at the moment though.

[@qlum]

adding a fan would kind of be against the point. As for if it is actually better, it is just a theory, it might not hold true. Sealing around the cooler would also increase static pressure, which might help. As for the type of cooler that would work best, if a non-passive cooler would be effective, that would probably be a larger single tower cooler such as the Scythe Mugen's

[@amisarebewaswerebeen]

Interesting! applied physics! I wonder what this would look like if scaled for data center or crypto mining

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! Would likely look like a miniature nuclear chimney cooler too. Would help with a breeze at that top that is perpendicular to the rising heats path.

[@victorc1462]

also wondering how did you manage to put 2005 heatsink on modern cpu

[@standupg4m3r]

Hi! You can thank AMD for keeping their retention scheme pretty standard for all this time. I think it was the Socket 754 when they started with the 2-point hook-clasp system and just kept it even with the motherboard mounting hole changes.

[@victorc1462]

so can I put any cooler on my am5? Makes me wonder why I bought my overpriced am5 cooler, could have gone 2nd hand@@standupg4m3r

[@standupg4m3r]

@@victorc1462 Kinda, sorta? If you want “just needs to function at bare minimum” then you could probably have gone second hand or previous gen (I’m making assumptions here since the package height - socket, PCB, IHS could differ affecting pressure) - but then you lose out on efficiency and maximum performance. The cooler I used, is sufficient but I am sure a newer air cooler with the same volume would destroy it; manufacturers and engineers had lots of time to fine tune their products. Even now some AM5 coolers have specific brackets to offset pressure even if the previous brackets “allows” the cooler to be installed and work. Just for the sake of optimization: noctua.at/en/offset-am5-mounting-technical-backgrounds I’m also assuming your new cooler probably has some premium finish applied, RGB, colored bits, etc. If you like how it looks in the system, it’s hard to put a value on that too. I say enjoy your new and optimized system!

[@easytomove]

In aircon room or in winter season it would be good, no ?

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for checking out my projects! Your questions are always welcome. :) Winter yes! But in the summer, even with AC the air temperature in a room is never really uniform unless it’s a really small room or your have the AC just going non-stop. I don’t have solar so my electricity bill would be through the roof!

[@peppernickelly]

Adding just a single fan would change the outcome of this project greatly. Fans in a PC system use many watts per fan.

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! The heatsink used in the project was also tested with a fan to show exactly how the outcome you’re referring would be.

[@Karti200]

That is too unconventional for me he-he - but great work as always :D curious - have you been considering to print an SFFPC case with single / two slot PCIE expansion places, but one to use PicoPSU :D

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! Can you tell me about the use case of your case suggestion? I can add it to the bucket list!

[@Karti200]

@@standupg4m3r I found once a small "Ryzen case" 3d print (I think you will recognize it) a mITX case with a hole on top for AMD Wraith Stealth cooler and lots of "AMD" logos on side as "ventilation holes" That case is using PicoPSU since you don't really need more than 250W in that case I was thinking of asking a friend to print it (since he own one printer) and use it with my Ryzen 3 4350GE (35W TDP Unit) But I also have a Tesla P4 (low profile, single slot GTX 1080 locked to 75W) and was itching to implement that into this case - but I literally lack any 3d moddeling skills :< and print like that could be nice for cards like Quadro K/M/P/T 400/600/1000 models, since these are single slot aswell (and even RX 6400 if anyone wants to use) and with PicoPSU this PC would be much, much quieter than with Flex one

[@standupg4m3r]

@@Karti200 ah gotcha. My next PSU purchase will be GAN but if I ever get me hands on a Pico PSU, there’s nothing stopping me!

[@standupg4m3r]

@@Karti200 I’ve already replied to you in your other comment, but have you seen my fan mod for the flex-ATX PSU? (In my Shorts list). It’s been great so far and not having a power brick rocks! But again, the GAN might be a game changer…

[@Psycho_Bruh]

also this would be so cool if a frind cam over and you had a spare desk in the corner

[@standupg4m3r]

Good idea! I miss LAN Partied!

[@fredbecker607]

Put an LED light on the top and it can sit in a corner like an artistic light with a hidden pc.

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching, and good call on the stealth art piece!

[@Armorant]

Author: "I've built a fanless 2 meter height PC case to get absolute silent PC!" VRM on load: "Oh, really?!"

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching! www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/xwgcus/asrock_x300w_20mins_of_r20_with_thermal_camera/? Fan or no fan, I get the same reading on motherboard temperatures on this board. I’m going to contact Asrock to see if it’s working as intended.

[@Psycho_Bruh]

why do i want one of these also will you remember us?

[@standupg4m3r]

Thanks for watching my experiment, in which the goal was furthering knowledge and having fun!

[@marco84998]

you need mor heatsink

[@standupg4m3r]

I need more money too ;) lol

[@LurkyVP]

tall and sexy AF.

[@standupg4m3r]

LOL thanks!

[@monoxydeish]

io avrei messo una ventola grossa sul fondo in modo che spingesse l'aria fresca verso l'alto piu velocemente per raffreddare meglio l'aria

[@standupg4m3r]

Grazie per aver guardato! Se ho intenzione di aggiungere un fan, allora perché non farlo? kzbin.info/www/bejne/in_KhGd7iNeUrcU