The frame of the case is built with MakerBeam 10mm aluminum beams. I use a 1mm aluminum sheet for the back tray that all of the parts mount to and 1.5mm bead blasted aluminum for the front and rear panels. I got these cut from OSH Cut. I originally had the front with one large opening on 1mm aluminum but it was a little flimsy. Hence the bar through the middle and slightly thicker material. I think it looked better before but it's definitely more sturdy now. I then 3D printed adapters that fit inside the beams for all of the fan, IO and other mountings to the case. The fan mounting uses isolators to ensure they stay nice and quiet. All intake and exhaust hole are covered with Modder's Mesh that fits between the panels and the 3D prited adapters. For the front IO, I mounted a Kailh Box Navy keyboard switch with an LED behind it along with a pair of USB 3 type A connectors. I have a spot for a type C as well but this motherboard doesn't have a type E connector so it's unused at the moment. I'm using a Devlin M keycap for the power right now as it fits well being a smaller keycap. I plan on 3D printing something specific for the case that will have a spot for the light to shine through as well. Minor details. It took me a few tried to get the rear IO shield to line up correctly. But of course, since I'm not using a normal GPU mount, I don't have an IO plate for the display ports. I plan on printing something for that as well eventually. The case panels are made with a thin aluminum backing, 3mm matte black acrylic and 3D printed borders that mount to the MakerBeams. Overall I think they came out pretty good. But, as most of my stuff, they are a little rough. They're not exactly flat, especially at some of the corners and I could have done a better job gluing, filling and sanding down the connections to make them look nicer. But again, it works so I'm happy. On the main left side, I 3D printed some inserts to slide into the MakerBeams so that the screw inserts stay mostly in the right spot and I don't have to slide things around to get the panel on. The remaining ones do require this but they won't come off often.
Specs:
Layout has the GPU mounted on the tray just like the CPU motherboard so both can utilize tower
style heat sinks with a straight front to back airflow path. The tiny HD Plex PSU sits right
in front of the motherboard and GPU so only short power cables are needed.
Rear has all connections along the one side leaving the rest open for airflow exhaust. You can
see the two heat sinks with the front fans behind them.
3D printed plates were created to fit with the beams and provide mounting locations for fans,
IO and ventilation.
Case panels have an aluminum backing with 3mm matte acrylic fronts and 3D printed borders all
glued together.
Case size comparison, mostly similar to MicroATX towers. An old mid-tower case on the left
looks huge compared tho this.
Shorter than most MicroATX towers but not quite as short as a Dell Optiplex.
Setup where it fits nicely on the corner of my desk. The short depth means it doesn't stick out
too far.