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The mind boggles...http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=17467. Big photo here http://img.hexus.net/v2/internationalevents/cebit2009/PM/Tuesday/thermaltake-level-10-3-big.jpg

That's weird. I don't know if I like it or not yet. I'd have to see it/use it to decide I think.

I really like the idea. I wonder how much it will cost.

How many fans will you need to keep all the compartments cool?

Well... I guess I give it points for being different.

I hope there's a fan pulling air through the pillar the hard drive enclosures are mounted to, otherwise those hard drives are going to get really toasty.

I bet this is something that pictures just can't portray well. I think if I saw this in person I would be more impressed. Already though, I am intrigued.

Maybe Tamale should get a review copy.

UberGerbil wrote:

How many fans will you need to keep all the compartments cool?

Seems like very few. It looks to me like an exhaust and a PSU fan aught to do it.

just brew it! wrote:

Well... I guess I give it points for being different.

I hope there's a fan pulling air through the pillar the hard drive enclosures are mounted to, otherwise those hard drives are going to get really toasty.

C'mon, hard drives on a typical desktop user workload don't get that hot, do they? Maybe warm to the touch.

ssidbroadcast wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

Well... I guess I give it points for being different.

I hope there's a fan pulling air through the pillar the hard drive enclosures are mounted to, otherwise those hard drives are going to get really toasty.

C'mon, hard drives on a typical desktop user workload don't get that hot, do they? Maybe warm to the touch.

Yeah, I'm sure the guys that designed that case, put it into production, etc. made an elementary mistake like that. My guess is it's taken care of.

ssidbroadcast wrote:

C'mon, hard drives on a typical desktop user workload don't get that hot, do they? Maybe warm to the touch.

If they're closed up with no airflow at all, they can get pretty hot. This is why I generally choose low power drives (like the WD GreenPower series) if I'm putting the drive in an external enclosure.

Hmm...could the bays be set up to act as 'heatsinks' in a way? Granted, that's not increasing surface area much but it would be helpful.

CampinCarl wrote:

Hmm...could the bays be set up to act as 'heatsinks' in a way? Granted, that's not increasing surface area much but it would be helpful.

If the hard drives are thermally coupled to their enclosures, they're probably acoustically coupled too. My guess is there is some kind of air cooling not seen.

just brew it! wrote:

Well... I guess I give it points for being different.

I hope there's a fan pulling air through the pillar the hard drive enclosures are mounted to, otherwise those hard drives are going to get really toasty.

The big Google whitepaper on hard drive lifetimes from a few years ago indicated that heat is not a major source of hard drive failures, and that in fact, hard drives like it hotter than most people would expect.

Did Swiffer give them money to design this? You need the Swiffer Duster to clean this thing very often!

Flying Fox wrote:

Did Swiffer give them money to design this? You need the Swiffer Duster to clean this thing very often!

Hah. I was thinking just let it get dusty.

Can always have a industrial fan blowing on this. Should take care of that or turn on the AC to 50F and the computer should be happier than you.

But all seriousness, I think this is a very good concept for keeping things cool. With the room temperature doing all the work. I love the idea that it would be easier to work with and I'm sure things come apart piece meal, you think?

Of course, I would probably never buy one, build one for myself, ummm? Looks easy enough...

Flying Fox wrote:

Did Swiffer give them money to design this? You need the Swiffer Duster to clean this thing very often!

Now, that is another thought, this should be easier to clean, huh??

I'm wondering if they passively cool the HDs. With the space that is there, it would be awfully easy to put top and bottom venting on them and then almost completely isolate them from the interior of the case.

I don't think I'd use something that actively generates static to clean sensitive electrical components.

You do know they're talking about cleaning the case, and not the HDD's.

looks to me like a PS2 put on its side from one angle...i like the idea, but the notion of it being a limited run thing is seriously a big let down and turnoff...

i wonder what's the thermal dissipation like with that case...i might have missed that the case has vents and what have you but i for one do not see how heat is going to be removed from the case

I've had a similar concept for a bit now. Stand up a maple cutting board, glue some Tupperware on it for components and stick it in the frig for cooling. Definitely not as attractive though.

While intriguing (unlike Lian Li's weird Dubai blue tower), the TT concept case is something I would never buy. Among other things, I'd hate all the dust-collecting nooks and crannies. My ideal computer case is an understated, compartmentalized box. While it may not be flashy, Lian Li's V-series, as it appears to be evolving, meets my needs both mechanically and esthetically.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/15/bmw- ... aming-rig/

Built with coordination from BMW DesignWorks. And i actually like it! Aside from maybe what sort of a easy bake oven is it, i think its pretty neat when it comes to cable management and out of the ordinary design. Reminds me of the Mac Pro insides, put a clean case around it and TT has a lawsuit on their hands probably.

I like this case.

Years ago I suggested to NVIDIA that they work with case companies to separate the graphics and CPU areas of the case. I also suggested the graphics cards be further compartmentalized by being put in a "wind tunnel" within their half of the case that had a couple fans at the front pulling air into it, and the video cards exhausting the cooler air they pulled in. A "SLi case".

I think they thought I was on crack.

Brian_S wrote:

I think they thought I was on crack.

You are. So is Thermaltake.

There is a case (ahem) that can be made for an external GPU, with its own power supply and cooling in its own case, connected via external PCIe. You could throw the optical drive in it too and with some GPGPU firmware it could function as a standalone player (if you can accept HDMI and digital-only audio output; if you want analog you'd also need to put a DA codec chip in there).

But that's different from what either Thermaltake has done or Brian_S has proposed, both of whom, as JBI says, clearly are on crack.

just brew it! wrote:

Brian_S wrote:

I think they thought I was on crack.

You are. So is Thermaltake.

Hmmmm

Why? Intuitively you'd think having the graphics cards in a compartment of room temp air, isolated from the CPU HSF heat? The only downside I can fathom is the video cards possibly not having enough airflow to keep their compartment at ambient and I had a central fan in my design to keep the air flowing by and out.

I was death on water at the time.

It's not that compartmentalization is a bad idea -- it isn't; rather, it's the method, or logistics of compartmentalization that is the issue. Having a computer design with absolute minimalist graphics output but with an external link directly to 32-lanes of PCI/e 2.0 in one chassis (or compartment) and a self-contained (and separately-powered & cooled) high-end graphics subsystem in a second chassis (or compartment) seems to be the ideal compromise. Alternately, using a single chassis, having air-flow zones seems to be the better design.

While the Thermaltake multi-compartment modular chassis is a neat, futuristic concept case, it really isn't very practical. I must admit, although I would never buy it, I like it a whole lot better than Lian-Li's Dubai Tower case. The Thermaltake case looks high-tech cool whereas the Lian-Li just looks strange.

Guys/gals, here is a concept that might make you think I'm on crack too...

Why not a case that when a button is pressed the case opens up and the motherboard with all its goodies move from the bottom to the top of the case for easy upgrading and accessibility? Using the same technology as a auto door opener in minivans. With the ability to detect if the motherboard can be moved by determining if all the plugs are unplugged.

Stupid concept or have I had too much coffee?