A Better Computer Fan - Sometimes: Cross-Flow Meshless AIO Case Benchmarks & Review

Gamers Nexus
30 Apr 202428:15

Summary

TLDRThe video script discusses an innovative small form factor computer case that utilizes a cross-flow fan for efficient and even air distribution, creating a laminar flow. The case design is meticulously crafted to maximize airflow, with a focus on thermal and acoustic performance. The script details the case's unique features, such as a clever GPU latch mechanism and the use of a 3D printed plastic flange. Extensive testing was conducted, including thermal and acoustic tests, revealing that while the CPU cooling performance is excellent, the GPU cooling is passable but could be improved with dedicated designs. The case is designed for a specific build style and is priced at a premium due to its manufacturing process. The script also highlights the importance of trying unconventional solutions in the ITX market and the potential for this innovative approach to influence future product designs.

Takeaways

  • 🌬 The case uses a unique cooling system with zero axial fans and one cross-flow fan, designed to create a laminar and evenly distributed airflow.
  • 📷 Practical imaging with photography was used to visualize the air movement within the case, demonstrating the effectiveness of the cooling design.
  • 🔊 Acoustic tests were conducted in a specialized chamber, revealing that the case performs well in terms of noise reduction.
  • 💟 The mechanical aspect of the case includes an innovative GPU latch mechanism, which simplifies the process of mounting a video card.
  • 🥀 A brand new line of copper-plated stainless steel Mule mugs is introduced, featuring a laser-etched formula for the thermal conductivity of copper.
  • 💰 The Meshless AIO case is priced at $360, which is considered expensive, but it utilizes a substantial 4mm thick aluminum extrusion, minimizing the need for additional hardware.
  • 🛠 The case is designed with a focus on airflow and thermal management, with optional parts like a RAM fan and a flow guide to enhance performance.
  • 📐 The case supports 280mm radiators and is designed with specific airflow paths, which are crucial for its cooling efficiency.
  • 📉 Thermal testing showed that the CPU thermals were very good, but GPU thermals were less optimal, particularly with flow-through coolers.
  • 🔧 The case has a clever GPU installation lever and thoughtful features, but there were concerns about the power supply mounting and its access to fresh air.
  • 📏 The case measures 379mm by 165mm x 259mm, supporting GPUs up to 362mm x 78mm x 163mm, making it suitable for a wide range of components.
  • 📚 The case manual is praised for being well-done and helpful, providing valuable guidance for building within the case's specific design constraints.

Q & A

  • What is the primary cooling mechanism used in the described case?

    -The primary cooling mechanism is a cross flow fan, which creates a lower velocity air movement at a perpendicular path tangential to the fan itself, resulting in a laminar and evenly distributed flow.

  • How does the GPU mounting mechanism in the case work?

    -The GPU is mounted using a latch mechanism that involves a tab to pull the PCIe slot into place, a riser that meets the GPU, and a 3D printed plastic flange that grabs and hooks the fan.

  • What is the price of the Meshless AIO case?

    -The price of the Meshless AIO case is $360, which is considered expensive but is justified by its unique manufacturing process and materials used.

  • What type of fans does the Meshless AIO case support for cooling?

    -The Meshless AIO case supports only 280mm radiators with cross flow fans, not axial fans, as part of its designed cooling system.

  • What is the purpose of the flow guide included with the case?

    -The flow guide is designed to help prevent recirculation of air, ensuring that the air is properly distributed throughout the case for optimal cooling.

  • How does the air intake and exhaust system work in the Meshless AIO case?

    -Air is intended to come in through the holes at the bottom of the case, hitting the GPU, and then be pulled in through the radiator by the cross flow fan. The exhausted air is then expelled through a narrow slit at the top of the case panel.

  • What are the dimensions of the Meshless AIO case?

    -The Meshless AIO case measures 379mm by 165mm by 259mm, making it a small form factor case.

  • What type of power supplies are supported by the Meshless AIO case?

    -Both SFX and SFX-L power supplies are supported, with the case providing a guided build experience and specific design considerations for these types of power supplies.

  • What is the maximum GPU size supported by the Meshless AIO case?

    -The case supports GPUs up to 362mm in length, 78mm in width, and 163mm in height, including large models like the AORUS Master 40 series.

  • What is the significance of the parabolic mirror in the air density gradient imaging setup?

    -The parabolic mirror acts as a lens to allow visualization of the air density gradient change, which helps in understanding the airflow patterns around the case without directly seeing the air.

  • How does the cross flow fan differ from an axial fan in terms of airflow?

    -A cross flow fan creates lower velocity air movement and produces a laminar flow that is evenly distributed across the length of the blade, while an axial fan moves air in a more direct and forceful manner, suitable for situations requiring quick expulsion of air.

Outlines

00:00

🌬 Cross Flow Fan Design and GPU Mounting Mechanism

The video introduces a small form factor computer case that utilizes a unique cooling system with zero axial fans and one cross flow fan. This design creates a lower velocity, evenly distributed airflow. The case also features an innovative GPU latch mechanism for easy installation. Acoustic and thermal tests were conducted, and the results were positive. The video also promotes copper-plated stainless steel Mule mugs available at Gamers Nexus.

05:01

📚 Principles of Airflow and Fan Operation

The video explains the physics behind the case's airflow, using principles of pressure systems. It covers how air is distributed and exhausted through the case, and how the cross flow fan operates differently from traditional axial fans. The setup includes a parabolic mirror to visualize air density gradients, providing a unique way to understand the airflow patterns within the case.

10:02

🔍 Thermal and Acoustic Testing

The video presents the results of thermal and acoustic testing for the case. It details how the cross flow fan performed at different speeds and how it compared to traditional axial fans. The testing reveals that the case's design is effective for CPU cooling but has some limitations for GPU cooling. The video also discusses the impact of adding a RAM fan and a flow guide on the system's thermal performance.

15:04

🏗 Case Construction and Fitment

The video discusses the construction of the case, including its dimensions and support for various GPU sizes. It highlights the case's focus on a specific build style and compares it to other cases like the A4 H2O. The video also covers the case's thoughtful design features, such as integrated rails for easy installation, and the manual's guidance on cable routing.

20:05

🛠 Case Assembly and Design Considerations

The video explores the assembly process of the case, noting the clever GPU installation lever and the space restrictions inherent to the design. It mentions the case's support for SFX and SFX-L power supplies and the cable management challenges. The video also points out areas for improvement, such as larger bottom cutouts for better access and concerns about the power supply's airflow.

25:07

💡 Innovation and Cost in Case Design

The video concludes with a discussion on the innovation presented by the case's cross flow fan design and its implications for the industry. It acknowledges the case's high cost but also the value of trying new approaches. The video provides a balanced view of the case's positives, such as excellent CPU thermals and clever design features, and negatives, including the cost, GPU thermals, and the need for design improvements.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Cross Flow Fan

A cross flow fan, also known as a transverse or tangential fan, is a type of fan that operates by drawing air into the side of the fan and expelling it at a right angle to the rotational axis. This design creates a laminar flow that is evenly distributed across the length of the fan. In the video, the cross flow fan is a central component of the case's cooling system, contributing to its innovative thermal performance.

💡Laminar Flow

Laminar flow refers to a smooth, orderly flow of fluid, where layers slide over one another with little to no disruption. In the context of the video, the cross flow fan is designed to produce a laminar flow of air, which is important for the even distribution of cooling within the computer case, enhancing the thermal management capabilities of the system.

💡Axial Fans

Axial fans are a common type of fan used in computer cases where the air is drawn in parallel to the fan's shaft and expelled in the same direction. The video discusses axial fans in comparison to the cross flow fan, noting that while they are more common and typically more effective in most computer use cases, the case in question is specifically designed for optimal performance with a cross flow fan.

💡Thermal Testing

Thermal testing involves evaluating how well a system, such as a computer case, manages heat under load. The video describes in-depth thermal testing conducted in a Hemi anechoic chamber to assess the performance of the case's cooling system. The results of these tests are critical for determining the effectiveness of the case's design in maintaining optimal internal temperatures.

💡Acoustic Test

An acoustic test measures the noise levels produced by a system. In the video, the case's noise levels are tested to ensure that the cooling solution is not only effective but also operates quietly. The test results are important for users who want a high-performance case that does not contribute significantly to ambient noise.

💡Unibody Construction

Unibody construction refers to a manufacturing technique where the main body of an object is machined from a single piece of material. The video highlights that the case is made from a single, large piece of aluminum, which contributes to its structural rigidity and minimal flex. This construction method also allows for a cleaner look and fewer screws or rivets, which is aesthetically pleasing and functional.

💡GPU Latch Mechanism

The GPU latch mechanism is a unique feature of the case that allows for the secure mounting of a graphics processing unit (GPU). The video describes this mechanism as a clever design that uses a lever to pull the PCIe slot into place, making the GPU installation process more efficient and secure. This is an example of the innovative mechanical design featured in the case.

💡Air Density Gradient

Air density gradient refers to the variation in the density of air, which can be visualized through certain imaging techniques. In the video, the air density gradient is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the case's airflow design. By using a parabolic mirror and specialized imaging, the video shows how air moves through and around the case, illustrating the principles of pressure systems in physics.

💡Pressure Systems

Pressure systems in physics relate to the movement of air based on differences in pressure. The video explains that the case's design takes advantage of these principles to control the direction of airflow, either into or out of the case. Positive pressure systems push air out through any available opening, while negative pressure systems draw air in. Understanding these principles is crucial for effective thermal management in the case.

💡Schlieren Imaging

Schlieren imaging is a visual technique used to observe changes in the refractive index of a medium, such as air, due to changes in temperature or density. The video uses this technique to visualize the air density gradient around the computer case, providing a unique way to demonstrate the case's airflow dynamics. This method is particularly useful because it allows the viewer to see the effects of airflow without directly observing the air itself.

💡Flow Enhancer

A flow enhancer is an optional component designed to improve the efficiency of the airflow within the case. The video discusses how the flow enhancer works by altering the angle of the exhaust path, helping to prevent recirculation of hot air and ensuring that cooler air is drawn into the case. This component is an example of the fine-tuned design elements that contribute to the case's overall thermal performance.

Highlights

The case uses a unique cooling system with zero axial fans and one cross flow fan, designed to create a lower velocity, evenly distributed airflow.

The cross flow fan operates by pulling air in through a radiator and expelling it out a narrow slit at high velocity.

Practical imaging with photography was used to visualize the air movement within the case.

Acoustic tests were conducted in a Hemi anechoic chamber to measure the noise levels of the case.

A clever GPU latch mechanism was designed for easy installation, pulling the PCIe slot into place with a tab.

The case is made from a single 4mm thick aluminum extrusion, minimizing the need for screws or rivets.

The unibody design of the case has very little flex, even when partially disassembled.

The case supports 280mm radiators and is designed to prevent recirculation with the help of a flow guide.

The air intake and exhaust system is based on principles of positive and negative pressure within physics.

A parabolic mirror and high-powered light source were used to visualize air density gradients, providing a unique insight into the case's airflow.

The case's innovative cooling design was found to work well in thermal testing, with the CPU kept significantly cooler than ambient temperature.

However, GPU thermals were a weak spot, especially with flow-through coolers that may not be well-suited for the case's design.

The case has a cleverly designed lever mechanism for installing the PCIe riser onto the GPU.

The case measures 379mm by 165mm by 259mm, fitting within the small form factor category while supporting large GPUs.

The case is designed for a specific build style, with integrated rails and a guided build experience.

Despite its innovative approach, the case is quite expensive at $360, which may be a consideration for some consumers.

The case's design includes thoughtful features such as a 2.5-inch drive mount, cable routing suggestions, and a hook for CLC tubes.

The case's power supply mounting bracket and bottom cutouts could be improved for better compatibility and ease of use.

Transcripts

00:00

[Music]

00:01

this small form factor case works by

00:03

using

00:05

zero axial fans and one cross flow fan

00:09

which works by creating a lower velocity

00:12

air movement at a perpendicular path

00:16

tangential to the fan itself the

00:18

theoretical end result is a laminer

00:20

evenly distributed flow and in this

00:22

video we've animated it to make some

00:24

educational material but we also did

00:26

some practical Imaging of how the air is

00:28

moving on this case with photography

00:31

using that setup it's pretty crazy we

00:34

also did a full Suite of acoustic test

00:36

in our Hemi anaco chamber and all this

00:38

was worth doing because it actually

00:40

works really well we have in-depth

00:42

thermals on it today some Acoustics and

00:44

more but even the mechanical side of

00:46

this case is pretty

00:52

interesting oh the misophonia

00:56

hurts and now we get to the really

00:58

clever part which is the

01:01

GPU and the latch mechanism so this

01:04

mechanical solution is actually a tab to

01:07

pull the pcie slot into place check that

01:11

that is actually like the coolest way to

01:13

mount a video card that I've ever worked

01:16

with with a case and it all works with

01:18

this latch in here where you can see

01:21

this thing pulls that riser to Brin it

01:25

up to meet the GPU and then a 3D printed

01:27

plastic flange basically grab ABS it and

01:32

hooks and then the

01:34

fan so case is pretty interesting the

01:38

cooling part is definitely where we're

01:39

focusing our testing cuz if this part

01:42

fails then none of the rest matters but

01:45

even the mechanics of it are pretty well

01:46

put together this video is brought to

01:48

you by us and our brand new copper

01:49

plated stainless steel Mule mugs with a

01:52

shiny hammered finish these are in stock

01:55

and shipping now on store Gamers

01:57

nexus.net and we haven't made these in

01:59

over 5 years but due to popular demand

02:02

it's time to bring them back these Mule

02:04

mugs are perfect for your cold drinks

02:06

and feature a laser etched formula for

02:09

the thermal conductivity of copper at

02:11

approximately

02:12

26.8 5.85 de cus approximately depending

02:17

on its exact composition and thickness

02:19

and test conditions but we're getting

02:20

carried away the point is that it's an

02:21

appropriately nerdy formula to laser

02:23

etch into a copper plated piece of drink

02:25

wear these 17 ounce mugs are great for

02:28

cold drinks on a warm day and are

02:30

commonly used for mules margaritas and

02:33

water to help fund our in-depth testing

02:36

and get some awesome looking drinkware

02:38

for your refreshing drinks head over to

02:40

store. Gamers nexus.net so this is

02:42

called the meshless AIO it's a mini ixk

02:45

small form factor and it has a solo

02:47

designer the designer emailed us months

02:50

ago we've had it since that time and

02:52

he's already been working on some

02:54

improvements such as to the fan these

02:56

two look mostly physically the same uh

02:58

however there was a chain

03:00

to the hub on the fan and now it's

03:03

entering its final stages should be

03:04

ready for production and going on sale

03:06

soon for $360 which is expensive but

03:10

then you look at the ITX case market and

03:12

everything's expensive maybe with the

03:14

exception a few cases like the Dan Case

03:17

A4 H2O there's really only one way to

03:20

build the computer as opposed to the end

03:22

case where there's a million ways to

03:23

build it this however it is very

03:25

important to build it in that specific

03:27

way because of the fan

03:30

so this is supposed to launch sometime

03:32

in May and it is expensive however it's

03:34

produced in an expensive way it is

03:36

mostly one giant 4 mm thick aluminum

03:39

Extrusion that forms a unibody it goes

03:42

as wide as a little over 5 mm as shallow

03:45

as about two at the back but ultimately

03:47

it's a huge piece of aluminum and since

03:49

it's all basically one piece of metal it

03:51

doesn't need screws or rivets to hold it

03:54

together structurally this thing has

03:56

very little Flex even when it's

03:58

basically half disassemble like this

04:00

because of how it's built the unibody is

04:03

also finished with a lot of CNC

04:05

Machining to form these tabs and

04:07

mounting points that allow it to avoid

04:10

using a ton of hardware and screws

04:12

something that end case struggled with

04:14

there's optional Parts like this Ram fan

04:19

this uh has some 3D printed components

04:21

as a common theme at least with this

04:22

version of the case so we'll test with

04:24

that actually works it's pretty

04:25

interesting additionally there is this

04:27

flow guide in theory to help prevent

04:30

recirculation that's where our and

04:32

imaging will come in later to help

04:34

illustrate that so here's how the flow

04:35

path works on this this only supports

04:37

280 mm radiators no 240s the axial fans

04:41

come off that's by Design the air ends

04:44

up getting pulled in as a result again

04:47

of this fan which

04:50

mounts there we got a piece of foam down

04:53

there but it goes in here and when the

04:56

fan is spinning it's pulling air in

04:59

through the radiator so the air is

05:01

coming in it is not being expelled here

05:03

where it gets

05:05

expelled is out this side so this

05:08

narrower slit at the top of this panel

05:11

uh shoots the air out at pretty high

05:13

velocity actually despite the overall

05:15

concept of a cross flow fan that's

05:17

because so focused and targeted so it

05:20

comes flying out here and then as for

05:22

Distributing that air throughout the

05:23

case the interesting thing with these

05:27

fans is that the air will pass through

05:29

blades twice and uh that's by Design as

05:33

opposed to an axial fan where if air

05:35

goes through these blades two times you

05:37

have a recirculation problem and you can

05:40

watch our bit Phoenix video if you want

05:41

to learn more about recirculation

05:43

problems the air also is intended to

05:46

come in through the holes down here that

05:48

hits the GPU for the motherboard side of

05:51

things because it's just a sheet of

05:52

glass there's this tiny strip of fine

05:56

mesh and air is supposed to find its way

05:58

in that as well all of this functions on

06:01

basic principles of pressure systems

06:03

within physics where you have positive

06:05

or negative pressure systems and

06:07

depending on the pressure of the system

06:09

we get either air flowing in through any

06:12

hole in the case or air flowing out

06:14

through any hole in the case that's what

06:15

our animation will look at as well there

06:17

are a few other places with holes on the

06:18

case so on the motherboard side there's

06:20

holes above the motherboard and the

06:21

power supply there also holes cut out in

06:23

the bottom of the case on the GPU side

06:24

which are meant to be passive exhaust

06:26

holes for large gpus and with our

06:28

modestly sized 70 Founders Edition they

06:31

probably end up more as intake all of

06:33

the air converges at the fan and is

06:35

exhausted through the upper quarter of

06:37

the right side panel but it would help

06:39

to visualize this and because we can't

06:41

see air the next best thing we can do is

06:43

look at the air density gradient so

06:45

we'll head over to our and imaging setup

06:47

this is it we're right now set up in

06:49

front of a parabolic mirror it acts as

06:51

uh basically a lens to allow us to see

06:54

the air density gradient change so we're

06:56

not technically seeing the heat but

06:58

we're seeing the change in density of

06:59

air in this General region but basically

07:02

over on this side of the room we have uh

07:06

I don't know just looking at it it it

07:09

looks like a uh it looks like a mad

07:12

science experiment that shouldn't work

07:13

but it does work so there's a camera of

07:16

course the camera is receiving light

07:18

that's getting split by this razor that

07:21

set up in front of the lens we also have

07:23

a very tiny but super high-powered Point

07:25

light source here that's taped to this

07:27

tripod and you can see an alumin umum

07:29

can uh cut out with a pin hole in it

07:33

that is to help uh basically make the

07:35

light as narrow and small as possible

07:37

when it hits that mirror and comes back

07:40

we want a as long a distance as we can

07:42

get so that's why the mirror is the size

07:44

it is now for the rest of the setup so

07:46

this is wired down to a benchtop power

07:49

supply we're running 24 volts into that

07:50

light that's what it takes and I have

07:52

some props over here as well so this is

07:55

a hand warmer uh this is one of the

07:59

tools that allows us to generate some

08:02

heat not because we're seeing the heat

08:04

in in the Imaging but because we're

08:06

seeing that density change in the air

08:08

around the mirror and where the Fan's

08:11

pulling in now one of the problems with

08:12

doing it this way is creating a

08:15

propulsion this pushes and so what we do

08:18

is turn it off after it's heated up that

08:20

grill a little bit and just let the uh

08:24

fan naturally pull the heat in put it

08:26

off to the side up to the middle

08:27

whatever couple different locations and

08:30

pull the uh that heated air in rather

08:33

than pushing it in which would influence

08:35

the result now this isn't perfect but

08:37

it's a pretty good visual representation

08:39

then we can measure the exhaust as well

08:41

uh but that one's pretty easy because we

08:42

just run a heat load inside the computer

08:44

and there's your change to the to the

08:46

air density so that is the schen Imaging

08:48

setup pretty fun and this is the result

08:50

first here's the exhaust side of the

08:52

Cross flow fan you can see the air exits

08:54

up at a 45° angle which is great because

08:57

it helps prevent recirculation of hot

08:58

air in through the the holes in the

09:00

bottomer sides of the case it's

09:01

excellent design to project It Up and

09:03

Away rather than just straight out the

09:05

flow enhancer is actually fascinating as

09:08

well with it on you can see that the

09:09

exhaust path doesn't change much but it

09:11

does better angle the air away from the

09:13

case and the other reason this works is

09:15

because it instead is blocking the

09:17

cooler air lower in the frame from being

09:20

sucked up into the exhaust path and

09:22

pushed or pulled away this allows the

09:24

air to instead find its way into the

09:26

case through the lower 2/3 of the side

09:27

panel this orientation shows us air

09:30

intake at the top of the case when a hot

09:32

object is held above the case without

09:34

any air movement the shifting air

09:36

density is observable getting pulled

09:37

into the top of the case with a bias

09:39

towards the right side or towards the

09:41

Fan's Mount and exhaust the currents of

09:43

the exhaust also pull air in this

09:45

direction using an upside down air

09:47

duster you can actually see this even

09:49

more when we move the output towards the

09:50

left there still pulls to the right one

09:52

side of the radiator gets a higher speed

09:54

of flow here we were curious whether the

09:56

rear was acting as intake or exhaust and

09:58

you can see that it's exhaust cost the

09:59

air is Flowing out of the case thanks to

10:01

the video cards fans there's some very

10:03

slight air intake at the bottom left of

10:05

the frame at slow speeds it takes us a

10:08

day to set up and capture Shan Imaging

10:10

and we spent over $5,000 on all the

10:13

tools to do the job so to support this

10:15

type of unique approach to testing head

10:17

over to store. Gamers nexus.net and grab

10:19

one of our PC building project mats our

10:22

mod mats our coaster packs for your

10:24

drinks with PC themes or other items

10:26

like shirts even though the cross flow

10:28

fan as you'll see in our thermal testing

10:29

actually works pretty well in this case

10:31

it will not work well in every case

10:33

there's a lot of fine detail that has to

10:35

go into a case from the ground up to

10:37

make it work so all over this case

10:39

there's finely tuned shaping of metal 3D

10:42

printed inserts things like this for

10:45

example uh which is actually goes in

10:48

some of the cable routing area but it

10:50

can be removed or added based on if you

10:52

need the space and adding it helps with

10:54

controlling the air path even more so it

10:56

won't work just anywhere one of the

10:58

downsides of this approach is that the

10:59

GPU doesn't have enough space behind the

11:01

back of it so for modern flowthrough

11:03

designs found in most of the Nvidia

11:05

cards they'll run into restrictions and

11:06

more on this in the testing we wanted to

11:08

take this opportunity to teach more

11:10

about how this fan actually works and

11:12

also for us to learn about how it works

11:14

so this is called either a cross flow or

11:18

a transverse fan sometimes they call it

11:19

a tangential fan It's relatively new in

11:22

the world of fans it's about 131 years

11:24

old from the first patent the only case

11:26

we could find that used one was The

11:28

Cooler Master stacker case and it was an

11:31

optional part Silverstone also made one

11:33

for General small form factor

11:34

applications for the anatomy of a fan

11:36

that's crossflow so it's separated into

11:38

blocks that's these three large sections

11:42

of blades the blocks are separated by

11:45

joint discs which is these two on this

11:47

one and one on each end the blades are

11:51

cross-sectional and they're at a slight

11:54

rotation so they're not perfectly

11:56

straight all the way across this one

11:57

also has a drum motor on the end or an

12:00

impeller there are some that are duplex

12:02

cross flow fans but this one just has it

12:04

sitting on the end now we've wanted to

12:05

start introducing educational animations

12:07

were possible lately so you get to see

12:09

the first one in this review a

12:11

traditional and simple axial fan slices

12:13

through the air to scoop and move it in

12:15

the targeted Direction choices in Blade

12:17

shape and design can dictate how wide or

12:19

straight the column of air is but the

12:21

concept is the same squirrel cage blower

12:23

fans or centrifugal fans pull air into

12:25

the center and then eject it outward

12:28

along the blade path

12:29

this is useful in cramped areas to evict

12:31

air quickly like in handheld gaming

12:33

devices or laptops where we need to

12:35

exhaust the hot air out of the chassis

12:38

as fast as possible for a cross flow or

12:40

transverse fan the fan is a longer and

12:43

narrower cylinder that rotates

12:45

longitudinally with a entering

12:47

perpendicularly to the rotational axis

12:49

and being evicted from the cylinder

12:51

tangentially to that axis so fitted to

12:53

the Ambi facient lunar Wayne shaft that

12:56

side fumbling was effectively prevented

12:59

the blower fans we normally see in

13:01

laptops and some gpus the cross flow fan

13:04

doesn't pull air in from the middle of

13:06

the impeller instead it has separate

13:09

Inlet and Outlet sides across the entire

13:11

length the outlet is formed by this

13:14

wedge or Vortex wall stabilizing the air

13:17

vortices in just the right way to create

13:19

directional flow through the impeller

13:21

these fans are used in situations where

13:23

a constant laminer stream of air is

13:25

desirable without the buffeting effect

13:28

of large L axial fans the total pressure

13:31

of the fan is proportional to the square

13:33

of its speed according to research by

13:35

yon chanu at all and research in 1973 by

13:39

e at all found that a reduction in angle

13:41

of attack improves the total pressure

13:44

coefficient later research discovered a

13:46

combination of tuning to the angle or

13:48

curve of the blades across the length of

13:50

the fan would further improve pressure

13:52

you can see this present in the modern

13:54

cross flow fan used for the meshless PC

13:56

case its angle gradually swoops from

13:59

right to left cross flow fans create

14:01

lower velocity air movement from in to

14:04

out and produce a laminer flow which

14:06

gets evenly distributed across the

14:08

length of the blade you might find these

14:10

in a common Standing Room tower fan

14:12

where the goal is to distribute air

14:14

widely across the room but not to direct

14:17

it at a particular Point cross flow fans

14:19

can also be found in certain HVAC

14:21

products Refrigeration products and

14:24

outside and digital signage and

14:25

billboards they've also been considered

14:27

for Aviation use inside The Winds of

14:29

planes but the idea hasn't really gotten

14:32

off the ground so cross flow fan has

14:33

that downside it's not going to force as

14:35

much air into a single point as an axial

14:38

fan or something like a blower fan some

14:41

Jay's two cense style

14:43

editing the captain we should leave that

14:46

in shout out to Jay Captain Jay's two

14:49

cents I like boats all right let's get

14:52

into the tasting for theral on this so

14:53

for variables there aren't too many on

14:55

this one there's three speeds for this

14:56

fan we'll test all three of them they're

14:58

100% it goes all the way down to 45% or

15:01

in the middle 65% we are testing with

15:03

the Kraken 280 NZXT cooler we just

15:05

bought it on Amazon for this review the

15:07

axial fans are mostly removed there's

15:09

one test though where we pull this fan

15:12

and we instead install the original

15:13

axial fans uh but they end up largely

15:17

blocked off so it's not a perfect

15:19

comparison but it's an interesting one

15:21

the last two things we're testing will

15:22

be the flow guide on versus off and the

15:25

ram fan on versus off let's look at the

15:28

data time for testing with a full CPU

15:30

and GPU workload at 100% fan speed in

15:32

stock the cross flow fan kept the CPU PE

15:34

cores at 35° C over ambient with the all

15:37

core average 3° lower this had it

15:39

running at 37.8 DBA at 1 meter in our

15:42

Hemi anoqui chamber conveniently this is

15:45

almost the same noise level as when we

15:46

taped the two axial fans to it instead

15:49

which ran 5° warmer that's great news

15:51

for the cross flow fan but a word of

15:53

warning because this case wasn't

15:55

designed for axial the fans are blocked

15:58

around the edges when held in place so

16:00

it's not really a fair comparison but

16:02

it's the most we can do without cutting

16:05

giant holes in the cas we still wanted

16:06

to run it out of curiosity in other

16:08

words a cross flow fan won't always be

16:10

better this entire case was designed

16:12

ground up for the solution so axial fans

16:14

will remain Superior in most computer

16:15

use cases but when carefully designed

16:17

for cross flow our data here suggests

16:19

that it's possible to produce a better

16:21

result the flow enhancer did improve

16:23

performance from a stock dropping about

16:25

1 degree from the Baseline results it's

16:27

not just a gimmick and adding the Ram

16:29

fan didn't change the CPU results

16:30

outside of variance but we'll look at

16:32

the ram temperature in a moment adding

16:33

the seat belt boosted the temperature as

16:35

it ends up blocking large parts of the

16:37

radiator due to its floppy nature

16:39

temperature increased over 1 degree from

16:41

basine dropping fans speed to 65% with

16:44

the button reduced the Noise by almost

16:45

10 DBA or a perceived effect of doubling

16:48

a noise when going from 65% to 100% fan

16:51

speeds the temperature increase was only

16:53

3 to 4° though finally the 45% result

16:56

had it close to silent at 25 .3 DBA and

16:59

our heian coic chamber with a noise

17:01

floor of 13.6 DBA GPU thermals aren't as

17:04

good so this is the weak spot especially

17:06

with a flow through cooler the axial

17:08

fans were actually the best here despite

17:10

being mostly blocked the GPU ended up at

17:12

54 de for average load temperature with

17:14

both speed variations of the axial fans

17:16

although the GPU memory temperature was

17:17

slightly better on the 100% test but

17:19

within variance this isn't abnormal to

17:21

see though the GPU isn't in the direct

17:24

flow path of the fans but it is far

17:26

enough from the cross flow fan in terms

17:29

of its path that the air follows that it

17:31

performs better a this mostly has to do

17:34

with the pressure system that's forming

17:35

within the case the first cross flow

17:37

appearance on this chart is the flow

17:38

enhancer which has the GPU at 55 deg

17:40

load that's improved from 56 without it

17:43

the handle hurts performance again with

17:45

fan speed reductions obviously impacting

17:47

it the most the bottom two results see a

17:49

hit to frequency where the 45% result

17:52

drops 20 MHz from the clocks not shown

17:54

on this chart this is a less favorable

17:56

set of results compared to what we saw

17:57

in the CPU and we suspect fact that the

17:59

design of the case doesn't do the Fe

18:01

design for gpus any favors there's

18:03

barely any room behind the flow through

18:05

portion of the cooler and any air that's

18:06

ejected towards the bottom of the case

18:08

has a strong likelihood of just being

18:10

recirculated this could be improved upon

18:12

in a number of ways one would be coming

18:14

up with some way to mount the GPU closer

18:17

to the outer wall no matter how thick it

18:19

is the second would be maybe using a GPU

18:22

with a more traditional cooler design

18:24

where hot air is blown out the top and

18:26

bottom edges of the cooler if you get

18:27

one with a vertical fin stack that would

18:29

allow maybe the cases fan to pull it out

18:31

directly the last chart looks at RAM and

18:33

vrm thermals the tiny Ram fan definitely

18:36

does something it's actually really cool

18:38

to see SPD Hub temperatures on the

18:40

memory drop to 14° over ambient when

18:42

using the cross flow fan with the memory

18:44

fan which is an impressive reduction of

18:46

5 to 6° against the most relevant

18:49

results the ram fan had a small benefit

18:52

for vrm mosfet thermals as well the

18:55

axial fans otherwise did the best and

18:56

were within error of each other here

18:58

using the cross flow fan with the flow

19:00

enhancer is 1 de better than without it

19:02

but not as good as with the ram fan

19:04

let's get back to the case itself now

19:05

move away from some of the pure thermal

19:07

discussion and talk about the fitment

19:09

and how it all comes together features

19:11

for example like that clever GPU

19:13

installation

19:16

lever I hate rhyming since the GPU area

19:19

of the case is closed off on all sides

19:20

the GPU is inserted from the back of the

19:22

case as we showed earlier this bracket

19:24

goes onto the GPU then the slots on the

19:26

side of the bracket slide into place

19:28

using these screws under the motherboard

19:30

as guides it works well in order to

19:32

attach the pcie riser to the GPU the

19:35

meshless AO has that levered operating

19:38

mechanism that we showed that lowers the

19:39

Riser slot onto the connector on the

19:41

card plastic 3D printed guides ensure

19:44

that it lines up during the process it

19:46

can be a little stiff to move into place

19:47

but it's a brilliant solution given the

19:49

inherent space restrictions for size the

19:51

case measures 379 by 165 x 259 mm which

19:55

is 9 mm longer and 10 taller than on the

19:57

spec sheet the rear pcie bracket and

19:59

case feet make up the differences we

20:01

think that should be included in

20:02

measurements that makes the outer volume

20:04

16.2 L well within small form factor

20:07

territory but not incredibly small gpus

20:10

up to 362 x 78 x 163 mm are supported

20:14

which includes the massive aor Master 40

20:16

series cards those are the largest we're

20:18

aware of so everything currently on the

20:20

market can technically fit obviously do

20:22

your own research to confirm and look

20:23

for protrusions as usual though fitting

20:26

in the case doesn't necessarily mean it

20:27

should go in the case and it's going to

20:29

have more problems for thermals in the

20:30

rest of the case too you end up with

20:32

this massive wall that starts to block

20:34

some of those really finely detailed but

20:37

important flow paths for the air to get

20:40

in and out of the two Chambers CPU

20:41

cooling is designed entirely around 280

20:44

MCS and the bracket doesn't even have

20:46

mounting holes for 240 the radiator

20:48

itself can only be up to 30 mm thick

20:51

which rules out the Arctic liquid

20:53

freezers and the block can only be up to

20:55

56 mm tall which blocks a few options we

20:59

used the NZXT crack in 280 so we know

21:02

that fits but getting rid of the fans

21:03

means some dead ends on Modern clc's

21:06

with rats nests of cables on the Block

21:09

for power supplies both sfx and sfx L

21:11

are supported with the usual reduced

21:13

Cable Management space with sfx L some

21:16

positives and negatives we'll start with

21:17

the positives we like the execution the

21:19

meshless AIO gives you a guided build

21:21

experience with one final configuration

21:23

in mind and it does it well and it's

21:25

Unique like we said earlier the meshless

21:27

is more like the Le Dan A4 H2O in terms

21:30

of maximizing one build style if you

21:32

boil it down to base elements the A4 H2O

21:34

is the meshless ao's closest competitor

21:36

we think the layout is very similar but

21:39

H2O is half the cost and is manufactured

21:41

completely differently it also uses

21:43

standard fans we also like the use of

21:45

integrated rails in this case internal

21:47

components like the crossbow fan the

21:48

radiator and the optional handle Mount

21:51

cleanly install with these the side

21:52

panels hinge into place with small tabs

21:55

and secure with screws and unlike the

21:57

end case it's way way fewer screws all

21:59

these things work well the 2 and 1/2 in

22:02

Drive Mount can hold two drives at an

22:04

angle between the motherboard and the

22:05

power supply and a secured by a single

22:07

screw above that there's a hook to keep

22:09

the clc's tubes in place there's also a

22:12

small hole in the rear panel below the

22:13

motherboard iio so you can run a

22:15

wireless antenna back inside the case we

22:17

used it for a thermocouple wire there's

22:19

a lot of thoughtful touches on this as a

22:21

last positive note we value manuals here

22:24

and the manual is well done and helpful

22:26

even in its current unfinished State the

22:28

cable routing suggestions are

22:29

particularly helpful now for some

22:31

negatives we've covered plenty of

22:33

positives so first of all on the

22:35

opposite side of attention of detail the

22:37

fan PCB that goes up here broke loose

22:40

from its Mount unfortunately the

22:41

approach that the meshless uh

22:44

construction used was soldering the

22:46

standoffs to the PCB they weren't secure

22:49

they weren't strong they snapped off so

22:50

we res secured it with screws the power

22:52

supply Mount was another problem it

22:54

seems like the brackets design takes the

22:56

exact placement and size of the AC plug

22:58

and power switch for granted as neither

23:01

of our standard test power supplies fit

23:03

perfectly the end result is that we had

23:05

to force them to fit and the power

23:06

supply doesn't sit correctly in the

23:08

machined area this could be fixed if

23:10

meshless tweaked the brackets design

23:11

we're also concerned about the power

23:13

supply being starved for access to we'll

23:15

call it fresh air so the power sply ends

23:18

up being one of the few components

23:20

without a carefully positioned hole to

23:22

help it breathe and it's going to end up

23:24

relying on Whatever Gets In basically

23:26

over here because the rest of it

23:27

probably going to get pulled away uh

23:29

since once you have that glass panel in

23:33

there let's not uh decapitate the tubes

23:37

on the liquid cooler once that panel's

23:39

in there there's just not a lot of

23:40

breathing room and it's going to lose a

23:42

lot of the pressure it has from that

23:44

tiny gap between the glass and the fan

23:47

so that's the one area we think there

23:48

might be more attention required for

23:51

better cooling we also found it

23:52

difficult to plug the GPU power cable

23:54

into our standard height card larger

23:56

bottom cutouts would make this easier

23:58

iier as what a taller GPU or a longer

24:01

cable but especially because the

24:03

connector positioning on the video card

24:04

is nonstandard there needs to be a lot

24:07

of room for flexibility here also access

24:09

to the bottom edge of the motherboard

24:11

isn't easy it's tolerable but that's

24:14

about it whenever a solo designer

24:16

contacts us with a product they've been

24:18

working on we really evaluate carefully

24:20

what the situation is and if they're

24:22

ready for that level of testing and

24:24

exposure and all of that this is a

24:26

serious project uh and it is going

24:29

somewhere this is obviously a really

24:31

unique approach to airflow in a computer

24:33

case cross flow fans again I've been

24:34

around for a little over 130 years they

24:37

have technically been used in computers

24:39

but it requires that groundup effort to

24:42

shape the entire product around using it

24:44

so it's not as simple as just throwing a

24:46

cross flow fan and now it's a compact

24:49

reasonable performer and trying

24:52

something weird and different like

24:53

meshless did with this case is important

24:57

because if no one ever tries something

24:59

weird and different we might never find

25:01

out as an industry that there's a better

25:03

way to do things and often we find that

25:06

there are better ways to do things and

25:08

the crazy thing is that still happens in

25:10

thermals and cooling which seems like it

25:12

should be the most uniform figured out

25:15

aspect of all of this but it's not and

25:18

in this case the cross flow setup

25:20

actually works pretty well overall now

25:22

in the average case and we really want

25:23

to drive this point home because uh

25:25

sometimes we'll see where someone tries

25:27

something new in the market market and

25:29

the community will sort of run with that

25:30

and go everything needs to use this

25:32

that's not true here because if small

25:34

form factor case companies just try to

25:36

throw in one of these fans it's not

25:38

going to be good enough uh and even if

25:40

you were to try and get a true like for

25:42

like for example by trimming down this

25:44

top part so those axial fans can fit

25:47

better it might be the case that

25:48

actually it's not better especially you

25:50

start doing things like noise

25:51

normalization or you measure everywhere

25:53

in the case like if we were to add some

25:56

uh measurement points in the power

25:57

supply which we typically don't need or

25:59

use but that may be a weak spot on this

26:01

one so this isn't an answer to small

26:05

form factor cases period but we think

26:07

it's a really good execution and we're

26:10

pretty surprised at how well it works to

26:12

where there's not really a problem of

26:15

building it this way at least with the

26:16

parts that we had the heat load we had

26:18

so some general positives and negatives

26:20

real Innovation for sure in case airf

26:22

flow it's a smart execution it uses an

26:25

unorthodox solution it's very expensive

26:27

though at $360 as a negative uh it is

26:31

however an expensive manufacturing

26:32

process lean Le is A4 H2O we think is

26:35

the closest competition it's about 155

26:37

bucks these days very similar layout

26:39

fans maybe not withstanding here but if

26:42

you want something that looks similar

26:43

externally and is more traditional we

26:45

point you that way we have a full review

26:47

on that one the design is very focused

26:49

with lots of clever and thoughtful

26:51

features we wouldn't be surprised if

26:53

that GPU Mount Finds Its way into

26:55

competing products eventually the CPU

26:57

thermals were very very good the GPU

26:59

thermals are passable it's dedicated

27:01

flow through designs like the Fe that we

27:03

think aren't the best choice

27:05

unfortunately and then for some

27:06

improvements the bottom cutouts should

27:08

be larger for ease of use the power

27:10

supply mounting bracket doesn't work

27:11

properly with some power supplies we're

27:13

concerned about the power Supply's

27:14

access to Air and the fan controller PCB

27:17

broke off its Mount but otherwise it's

27:19

really clever execution and we enjoyed

27:21

working on it super cool Innovative not

27:25

prohibitively uh expensive if you look

27:27

at the ITX Market Market but definitely

27:29

expensive absolutely and if you want

27:31

cheaper options there's a lot of them

27:32

out there but it's not like it's some

27:35

insane

27:36

$600 solo artist project this is like

27:39

kind of borderline getting into mass

27:42

production Mass Market type stuff for

27:44

the ITX World which is expensive in

27:45

general but uh that's it for this one

27:48

fun to work on really fun to do the

27:50

animations and the SCH and imaging break

27:52

that out again please support that work

27:54

though because all of that is a ton of

27:56

extra effort we basically spent a whole

27:57

day just on the and imaging so go over

27:59

to store. Camas access.net and grab one

28:02

of our shirts our mod mats project and

28:04

soldering mats or coaster packs to help

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fund all of this effort to bring you

28:08

in-depth technical reviews that are

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independently produced thanks for

28:12

watching subscribe for more we'll see

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you all next time

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Cross-Flow FanPC CoolingThermal TestingAcousticsSmall Form FactorMeshless AIOInnovative DesignCPU ThermalsGPU CoolingAirflow DynamicsPC Building
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