A Better Computer Fan - Sometimes: Cross-Flow Meshless AIO Case Benchmarks & Review
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
🌬️ 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.
📚 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.
🔍 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.
🏗️ 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.
🛠️ 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.
💡 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
💡Laminar Flow
💡Axial Fans
💡Thermal Testing
💡Acoustic Test
💡Unibody Construction
💡GPU Latch Mechanism
💡Air Density Gradient
💡Pressure Systems
💡Schlieren Imaging
💡Flow Enhancer
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
[Music]
this small form factor case works by
using
zero axial fans and one cross flow fan
which works by creating a lower velocity
air movement at a perpendicular path
tangential to the fan itself the
theoretical end result is a laminer
evenly distributed flow and in this
video we've animated it to make some
educational material but we also did
some practical Imaging of how the air is
moving on this case with photography
using that setup it's pretty crazy we
also did a full Suite of acoustic test
in our Hemi anaco chamber and all this
was worth doing because it actually
works really well we have in-depth
thermals on it today some Acoustics and
more but even the mechanical side of
this case is pretty
interesting oh the misophonia
hurts and now we get to the really
clever part which is the
GPU and the latch mechanism so this
mechanical solution is actually a tab to
pull the pcie slot into place check that
that is actually like the coolest way to
mount a video card that I've ever worked
with with a case and it all works with
this latch in here where you can see
this thing pulls that riser to Brin it
up to meet the GPU and then a 3D printed
plastic flange basically grab ABS it and
hooks and then the
fan so case is pretty interesting the
cooling part is definitely where we're
focusing our testing cuz if this part
fails then none of the rest matters but
even the mechanics of it are pretty well
put together this video is brought to
you by us and our brand new copper
plated stainless steel Mule mugs with a
shiny hammered finish these are in stock
and shipping now on store Gamers
nexus.net and we haven't made these in
over 5 years but due to popular demand
it's time to bring them back these Mule
mugs are perfect for your cold drinks
and feature a laser etched formula for
the thermal conductivity of copper at
approximately
26.8 5.85 de cus approximately depending
on its exact composition and thickness
and test conditions but we're getting
carried away the point is that it's an
appropriately nerdy formula to laser
etch into a copper plated piece of drink
wear these 17 ounce mugs are great for
cold drinks on a warm day and are
commonly used for mules margaritas and
water to help fund our in-depth testing
and get some awesome looking drinkware
for your refreshing drinks head over to
store. Gamers nexus.net so this is
called the meshless AIO it's a mini ixk
small form factor and it has a solo
designer the designer emailed us months
ago we've had it since that time and
he's already been working on some
improvements such as to the fan these
two look mostly physically the same uh
however there was a chain
to the hub on the fan and now it's
entering its final stages should be
ready for production and going on sale
soon for $360 which is expensive but
then you look at the ITX case market and
everything's expensive maybe with the
exception a few cases like the Dan Case
A4 H2O there's really only one way to
build the computer as opposed to the end
case where there's a million ways to
build it this however it is very
important to build it in that specific
way because of the fan
so this is supposed to launch sometime
in May and it is expensive however it's
produced in an expensive way it is
mostly one giant 4 mm thick aluminum
Extrusion that forms a unibody it goes
as wide as a little over 5 mm as shallow
as about two at the back but ultimately
it's a huge piece of aluminum and since
it's all basically one piece of metal it
doesn't need screws or rivets to hold it
together structurally this thing has
very little Flex even when it's
basically half disassemble like this
because of how it's built the unibody is
also finished with a lot of CNC
Machining to form these tabs and
mounting points that allow it to avoid
using a ton of hardware and screws
something that end case struggled with
there's optional Parts like this Ram fan
this uh has some 3D printed components
as a common theme at least with this
version of the case so we'll test with
that actually works it's pretty
interesting additionally there is this
flow guide in theory to help prevent
recirculation that's where our and
imaging will come in later to help
illustrate that so here's how the flow
path works on this this only supports
280 mm radiators no 240s the axial fans
come off that's by Design the air ends
up getting pulled in as a result again
of this fan which
mounts there we got a piece of foam down
there but it goes in here and when the
fan is spinning it's pulling air in
through the radiator so the air is
coming in it is not being expelled here
where it gets
expelled is out this side so this
narrower slit at the top of this panel
uh shoots the air out at pretty high
velocity actually despite the overall
concept of a cross flow fan that's
because so focused and targeted so it
comes flying out here and then as for
Distributing that air throughout the
case the interesting thing with these
fans is that the air will pass through
blades twice and uh that's by Design as
opposed to an axial fan where if air
goes through these blades two times you
have a recirculation problem and you can
watch our bit Phoenix video if you want
to learn more about recirculation
problems the air also is intended to
come in through the holes down here that
hits the GPU for the motherboard side of
things because it's just a sheet of
glass there's this tiny strip of fine
mesh and air is supposed to find its way
in that as well all of this functions on
basic principles of pressure systems
within physics where you have positive
or negative pressure systems and
depending on the pressure of the system
we get either air flowing in through any
hole in the case or air flowing out
through any hole in the case that's what
our animation will look at as well there
are a few other places with holes on the
case so on the motherboard side there's
holes above the motherboard and the
power supply there also holes cut out in
the bottom of the case on the GPU side
which are meant to be passive exhaust
holes for large gpus and with our
modestly sized 70 Founders Edition they
probably end up more as intake all of
the air converges at the fan and is
exhausted through the upper quarter of
the right side panel but it would help
to visualize this and because we can't
see air the next best thing we can do is
look at the air density gradient so
we'll head over to our and imaging setup
this is it we're right now set up in
front of a parabolic mirror it acts as
uh basically a lens to allow us to see
the air density gradient change so we're
not technically seeing the heat but
we're seeing the change in density of
air in this General region but basically
over on this side of the room we have uh
I don't know just looking at it it it
looks like a uh it looks like a mad
science experiment that shouldn't work
but it does work so there's a camera of
course the camera is receiving light
that's getting split by this razor that
set up in front of the lens we also have
a very tiny but super high-powered Point
light source here that's taped to this
tripod and you can see an alumin umum
can uh cut out with a pin hole in it
that is to help uh basically make the
light as narrow and small as possible
when it hits that mirror and comes back
we want a as long a distance as we can
get so that's why the mirror is the size
it is now for the rest of the setup so
this is wired down to a benchtop power
supply we're running 24 volts into that
light that's what it takes and I have
some props over here as well so this is
a hand warmer uh this is one of the
tools that allows us to generate some
heat not because we're seeing the heat
in in the Imaging but because we're
seeing that density change in the air
around the mirror and where the Fan's
pulling in now one of the problems with
doing it this way is creating a
propulsion this pushes and so what we do
is turn it off after it's heated up that
grill a little bit and just let the uh
fan naturally pull the heat in put it
off to the side up to the middle
whatever couple different locations and
pull the uh that heated air in rather
than pushing it in which would influence
the result now this isn't perfect but
it's a pretty good visual representation
then we can measure the exhaust as well
uh but that one's pretty easy because we
just run a heat load inside the computer
and there's your change to the to the
air density so that is the schen Imaging
setup pretty fun and this is the result
first here's the exhaust side of the
Cross flow fan you can see the air exits
up at a 45° angle which is great because
it helps prevent recirculation of hot
air in through the the holes in the
bottomer sides of the case it's
excellent design to project It Up and
Away rather than just straight out the
flow enhancer is actually fascinating as
well with it on you can see that the
exhaust path doesn't change much but it
does better angle the air away from the
case and the other reason this works is
because it instead is blocking the
cooler air lower in the frame from being
sucked up into the exhaust path and
pushed or pulled away this allows the
air to instead find its way into the
case through the lower 2/3 of the side
panel this orientation shows us air
intake at the top of the case when a hot
object is held above the case without
any air movement the shifting air
density is observable getting pulled
into the top of the case with a bias
towards the right side or towards the
Fan's Mount and exhaust the currents of
the exhaust also pull air in this
direction using an upside down air
duster you can actually see this even
more when we move the output towards the
left there still pulls to the right one
side of the radiator gets a higher speed
of flow here we were curious whether the
rear was acting as intake or exhaust and
you can see that it's exhaust cost the
air is Flowing out of the case thanks to
the video cards fans there's some very
slight air intake at the bottom left of
the frame at slow speeds it takes us a
day to set up and capture Shan Imaging
and we spent over $5,000 on all the
tools to do the job so to support this
type of unique approach to testing head
over to store. Gamers nexus.net and grab
one of our PC building project mats our
mod mats our coaster packs for your
drinks with PC themes or other items
like shirts even though the cross flow
fan as you'll see in our thermal testing
actually works pretty well in this case
it will not work well in every case
there's a lot of fine detail that has to
go into a case from the ground up to
make it work so all over this case
there's finely tuned shaping of metal 3D
printed inserts things like this for
example uh which is actually goes in
some of the cable routing area but it
can be removed or added based on if you
need the space and adding it helps with
controlling the air path even more so it
won't work just anywhere one of the
downsides of this approach is that the
GPU doesn't have enough space behind the
back of it so for modern flowthrough
designs found in most of the Nvidia
cards they'll run into restrictions and
more on this in the testing we wanted to
take this opportunity to teach more
about how this fan actually works and
also for us to learn about how it works
so this is called either a cross flow or
a transverse fan sometimes they call it
a tangential fan It's relatively new in
the world of fans it's about 131 years
old from the first patent the only case
we could find that used one was The
Cooler Master stacker case and it was an
optional part Silverstone also made one
for General small form factor
applications for the anatomy of a fan
that's crossflow so it's separated into
blocks that's these three large sections
of blades the blocks are separated by
joint discs which is these two on this
one and one on each end the blades are
cross-sectional and they're at a slight
rotation so they're not perfectly
straight all the way across this one
also has a drum motor on the end or an
impeller there are some that are duplex
cross flow fans but this one just has it
sitting on the end now we've wanted to
start introducing educational animations
were possible lately so you get to see
the first one in this review a
traditional and simple axial fan slices
through the air to scoop and move it in
the targeted Direction choices in Blade
shape and design can dictate how wide or
straight the column of air is but the
concept is the same squirrel cage blower
fans or centrifugal fans pull air into
the center and then eject it outward
along the blade path
this is useful in cramped areas to evict
air quickly like in handheld gaming
devices or laptops where we need to
exhaust the hot air out of the chassis
as fast as possible for a cross flow or
transverse fan the fan is a longer and
narrower cylinder that rotates
longitudinally with a entering
perpendicularly to the rotational axis
and being evicted from the cylinder
tangentially to that axis so fitted to
the Ambi facient lunar Wayne shaft that
side fumbling was effectively prevented
the blower fans we normally see in
laptops and some gpus the cross flow fan
doesn't pull air in from the middle of
the impeller instead it has separate
Inlet and Outlet sides across the entire
length the outlet is formed by this
wedge or Vortex wall stabilizing the air
vortices in just the right way to create
directional flow through the impeller
these fans are used in situations where
a constant laminer stream of air is
desirable without the buffeting effect
of large L axial fans the total pressure
of the fan is proportional to the square
of its speed according to research by
yon chanu at all and research in 1973 by
e at all found that a reduction in angle
of attack improves the total pressure
coefficient later research discovered a
combination of tuning to the angle or
curve of the blades across the length of
the fan would further improve pressure
you can see this present in the modern
cross flow fan used for the meshless PC
case its angle gradually swoops from
right to left cross flow fans create
lower velocity air movement from in to
out and produce a laminer flow which
gets evenly distributed across the
length of the blade you might find these
in a common Standing Room tower fan
where the goal is to distribute air
widely across the room but not to direct
it at a particular Point cross flow fans
can also be found in certain HVAC
products Refrigeration products and
outside and digital signage and
billboards they've also been considered
for Aviation use inside The Winds of
planes but the idea hasn't really gotten
off the ground so cross flow fan has
that downside it's not going to force as
much air into a single point as an axial
fan or something like a blower fan some
Jay's two cense style
editing the captain we should leave that
in shout out to Jay Captain Jay's two
cents I like boats all right let's get
into the tasting for theral on this so
for variables there aren't too many on
this one there's three speeds for this
fan we'll test all three of them they're
100% it goes all the way down to 45% or
in the middle 65% we are testing with
the Kraken 280 NZXT cooler we just
bought it on Amazon for this review the
axial fans are mostly removed there's
one test though where we pull this fan
and we instead install the original
axial fans uh but they end up largely
blocked off so it's not a perfect