Member-only story
I wanted a PC that was compact, portable, robust, and simply… different. The best and least cost-effective way to do this is by creating my own custom case.
Introduction
I’m a mechanical engineer by degree from the University of Texas at Austin. When designing this case, I really should have ran heat and flow simulations to validate the cooling performance of the case. Without access to proper simulation softwares, I shifted my main focus in mechanical design to achieve compactness, portability, and durability while slapping on as many fans as I could. Hope you enjoy my journey.
PC Specifications
As my second PC build, I wanted an upgrade from my 2017 budget build. I sought high-end specs, albeit not the highest. Below are the final specifications for my new build and reasons why I chose those components.
CPU — Intel Core i7–9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor
You may wonder: Why Intel? Why an i7? Why the 9th gen? It was simply on sale for $199.99 at Microcenter. This processor normally retails for $300–350. The value of processing power to dollar cost was just too good for me to pass up.
CPU Cooler — Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black
You may also wonder: Why not liquid cooled? Why Noctua? Well this decision refers back to the overall goal for my PC build: Portability. I had concerns with AIO liquid coolers during transport. Although AIO coolers are pretty unlikely to fail, the risk & severity is too high if it did (ex. leaking). Another consideration was if I were to take my PC on a flight, there may be TSA complications with the liquid. The downside to a heatsink & fan cooler is size. Now this hurts the portability metric, but the risks of AIO coolers outweighed the more traditional cooler.
Motherboard — Gigabyte Z390 I Aorus Pro Wifi Mini ITX
Since I aimed to create a mini PC, I had to find a mini ITX motherboard. My selections were…
