Gauging interest in a 4U GPU mining case - Now just a drop-in bracket

[Spotswood]

I'm thinking about offering a simple 4U GPU server case for the DIY miner.  The case will have the "standard?" ability to mount the GPUs in either orientation and spacing, have an inner support wall for fans, designed to rest on a 1U shelf, and ship pretty much bare bones (no fans, grills, etc., bare aluminum).

Hoping to sell this in the $300-350 range (shipping from New Hampshire, USA).

Thoughts?

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[tlmoscow]

Tip: Not enough place for PSU and MoBo in this layout

[Spotswood]

Tip: Not enough place for PSU and MoBo in this layout

Heh?

[eckmar]

for bare aluminium price is just way to high. Anyway i don't see in your design hole for cables that connect motherboard and raisers. Only option is one fan hole but then only 2 fans...

[olcaytu2005]

I dont see why anyone would be willing to pay 2x GPU money. I built my frames for 20$ and never had a problem.

[padrino]

Gray Matter has shown there is a healthy viable market for GPU chassis like this. Not sure why the haters are the first to drop in on your thread. Good luck with the project.

[deadsix]

Change the GPU Orientation to face the opposite side, so that blower style Cards can be used too. Also, if you have onboard video disabled it would be easier to access the GPU HDMI port if they are turned the other way.
But there is a market for these, I am trying to make them myself because of sourcing issues.

[tlmoscow]

Tip: Not enough place for PSU and MoBo in this layout

Heh?

You need to have width < 19", so in your current layout you can't use 2 PSUs, E-ATX MoBos... And as i see, power cables from PSU need to be longer than a standart ones...

[rockyforever]

So I would be interested but the price......

I made one for myself similar (almost exactly) like padrino buying a 4U from newegg and making the modifications. I cost me less than 100$ to do so, not sure why people are charging 3x the price. If the price could be dropped...

(not sure the manufacturing costs)

I think people would be interested.

[Spotswood]

Change the GPU Orientation to face the opposite side, so that blower style Cards can be used too. Also, if you have onboard video disabled it would be easier to access the GPU HDMI port if they are turned the other way.
But there is a market for these, I am trying to make them myself because of sourcing issues.

I mentioned in the OP that the GPUs can be mounted in either orientation.  They can also be positioned anywhere along the depth of the case.

Tip: Not enough place for PSU and MoBo in this layout

Heh?

You need to have width < 19", so in your current layout you can't use 2 PSUs, E-ATX MoBos... And as i see, power cables from PSU need to be longer than a standart ones...

Yes, this design can only accommodate one PSU and ATX-size motherboards.  The current depth of the case is 26-inches, and shortening it wouldn't be a big problem.  The GPUs can be mounted in any orientation and positioned anywhere along the depth of the case.

[mirny]

No one will pay for this frame that money, so yeah you can only wish 300$ price.

[alucard20724]

i see a slight problem with this case... why are you blowing hot air from the gpus onto the motherboard/psu/ram/ssd/cpu... etc etc?

[Spotswood]

i see a slight problem with this case... why are you blowing hot air from the gpus onto the motherboard/psu/ram/ssd/cpu... etc etc?

Its a fairly standard layout, but I suppose you could put the MB and PSU at the front?

[MarkAz]

For what it's worth, I would recommend against using 80/20 (or whichever extrusion you're using) for a 4U build - you're much better off just repurposing an existing 4U case, as the cost will be substantially less, as will the weight.  Design some sort of inserts that would go into an existing case in order to make it correct for mining - as there are many existing 4U cases that have tons of mounting holes already in them.

I love 80/20, and I use it for all my builds, and it's great for prototyping but it will kill your margin...  Oh, and the design as shown won't work because of the sheering force on the front mount, you'd want to mount the ears onto your side with something like these:

http://amzn.to/2gIkbiT

This way the force of case is loaded onto your top and bottom beams.

BTW; I love some of your builds - your IKEA drawer one is brilliant! 

[hanksBTC]

i see a slight problem with this case... why are you blowing hot air from the gpus onto the motherboard/psu/ram/ssd/cpu... etc etc?

Its a fairly standard layout, but I suppose you could put the MB and PSU at the front?

The picture looks dang! Nice drawing but the price is horrible. What about 60 to 80$ price?

[louie2001912]

I would pay $100 tops for a case like this. I've made one before with the Rosewill 4U case for $69

[Tmdz]

$300 is just crazy, for that money most everyone will build their own for a fraction of that.

[Etherion]

What is the basic dimensions of this rack?

[Spotswood]

What is the basic dimensions of this rack?

25x17.5x7-inches

[Nikolaj]

$300 is just crazy, for that money most everyone will build their own for a fraction of that.

you guys have really no clue how much these kind of solutions costs (prototypes, components, logistics, human work, adapters, instruments, working tools, drills, etc, etc)

60 bucks?

Yeah, build it for yourselves. Good luck with that

[ps_jb]

you guys have really no clue how much these kind of solutions costs (prototypes, components, logistics, human work, adapters, instruments, working tools, drills, etc, etc)

60 bucks?

Yeah, build it for yourselves. Good luck with that

It costs around 20 bucks over $79.99

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Server-Chassis-Rackmount-Metal/dp/B0055EV30W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480637836&sr=8-1&keywords=4u+case

[rockyforever]

you guys have really no clue how much these kind of solutions costs (prototypes, components, logistics, human work, adapters, instruments, working tools, drills, etc, etc)

60 bucks?

Yeah, build it for yourselves. Good luck with that

It costs around 20 bucks over $79.99

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Server-Chassis-Rackmount-Metal/dp/B0055EV30W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480637836&sr=8-1&keywords=4u+case

Yep this is what I did, I had a few metal cutting tools and what I removed from that exact case I was able to reuse to make a bar and few other things to mount the gpus. works perfectly fine.

Hate how a few ppl are calling us "haters," when in fact this is a thread to "gauge interest" (with the hope of feedback), if you don't want truth, then don't post.

Buy those cases, do some custom mods and resell. easy day.

[Altcoining]

If you don't mind, what software did you use to make the model? It looks very nice.

[Nikolaj]

you guys have really no clue how much these kind of solutions costs (prototypes, components, logistics, human work, adapters, instruments, working tools, drills, etc, etc)

60 bucks?

Yeah, build it for yourselves. Good luck with that

It costs around 20 bucks over $79.99

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Server-Chassis-Rackmount-Metal/dp/B0055EV30W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480637836&sr=8-1&keywords=4u+case

So you're telling me that this cheap, and short, chassis is capable of inserting 7/8 30cm VGAs with a proper cooling and components installation?

Other than that, the cost of the tools, the human work, the taxations, the shipments, the insurances, the prototypes, the 2D/3D projects, the commissions, the trials (etc ,etc) it's 0?

I repeat, you guys seems to have absolutely no clue about the real, final, costs of such objects

[Spotswood]

If you don't mind, what software did you use to make the model? It looks very nice.

Sketchup: http://www.sketchup.com/download/all

[Spotswood]

Based on the feedback, I've decided to offer a small "drop-in" frame that would go into an existing server case to securely hold the GPUs (and possibly some fans as well).  

[efficienthash]

@Spotswood

Got any picture how the drop-in frame would look like?

[YIz]

Kind of cool in my opinion but it's a little expensive and it's probably heavy and costly to ship internationally.

[Spotswood]

@Spotswood

Got any picture how the drop-in frame would look like?

[hawkfish007]

Based on the feedback, I've decided to offer a small "drop-in" frame that would go into an existing server case to securely hold the GPUs (and possibly some fans as well).  

I am very interested in your drop-in frame. Price and availability please.

Thanks.

[maxmad_x]

you guys have really no clue how much these kind of solutions costs (prototypes, components, logistics, human work, adapters, instruments, working tools, drills, etc, etc)

60 bucks?

Yeah, build it for yourselves. Good luck with that

It costs around 20 bucks over $79.99

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Server-Chassis-Rackmount-Metal/dp/B0055EV30W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480637836&sr=8-1&keywords=4u+case

Yep this is what I did, I had a few metal cutting tools and what I removed from that exact case I was able to reuse to make a bar and few other things to mount the gpus. works perfectly fine.

Hate how a few ppl are calling us "haters," when in fact this is a thread to "gauge interest" (with the hope of feedback), if you don't want truth, then don't post.

Buy those cases, do some custom mods and resell. easy day.

Did you remove the internals of this case? Is it screwed in or welded? Does it need just unscrewing and actually cutting metal>
Thank you

[rockyforever]

you guys have really no clue how much these kind of solutions costs (prototypes, components, logistics, human work, adapters, instruments, working tools, drills, etc, etc)

60 bucks?

Yeah, build it for yourselves. Good luck with that

It costs around 20 bucks over $79.99

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Server-Chassis-Rackmount-Metal/dp/B0055EV30W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480637836&sr=8-1&keywords=4u+case

So you're telling me that this cheap, and short, chassis is capable of inserting 7/8 30cm VGAs with a proper cooling and components installation?

Other than that, the cost of the tools, the human work, the taxations, the shipments, the insurances, the prototypes, the 2D/3D projects, the commissions, the trials (etc ,etc) it's 0?

I repeat, you guys seems to have absolutely no clue about the real, final, costs of such objects

Naw, your reading into this wrong. No one is denying the cost of prototypes, trials, etc.

What everyone is saying is "why recreate the wheel when you could just modify an already existing one." hence the links, and descriptions on how to bring the price down. Why pay 3x the price for a "recreated" design when someone could easily modify a current design DIY?

I know your bias because you went through the whole process and thats why your product is so expensive, I get that, but at this point there are so many chassis available that just need a few modifications and tweaks to make it work, that would cost less than recreating from scratch and overall, cost less to the consumer. I don't know if margins would be less, equal, or greater but modifying is what people want.

I think spotswood is going to nail it with the insert. It should be simple and not have to be reproduced at costs people are not willing to pay for. 

[Nikolaj]

Hi rocky

I appreciate your ways of relating to others, and I respect your point of view.

I completely understand the personal needs, but in my experience (*) such kind of modifications presents a very high cost in materials, personal time, tools and finally also reliability.

(*) Here's a project of mine, dated february 2014:
http://www.xtremehardware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43454



2 years ago I wanted to make the same, to modify a server chassis and produce something useful, to mine litecoins with VGAs.

What people usually don't consider it's the final cost of time and tools, other than the necessary accessories to make such modifications.

It depends by a lot of factors, for example the tipology of product that you want to create, but if you go on for a serial production, a lot of things are different:



Such kind of machinery costs more than 600.000 EUR, and it needs 2 skilled workers full time.

The design phase it's very difficult to quantify in USD, I can tell you that I've got 8 different prototypes and I am going on for the final 2 (I hope). It've taken 9 months since now, 3 different specialists and a couple of projects. Seeking for an high quality of the products that you deliver to the customers, means that the latter won't have any issue, or simply will be very satisfied with your product. My aim is to produce the best unit in the market, and we're almost there. What you've seen in my signature it's just a fraction, absolutely not representative of the final product.

If you want to modify a product for personal use or limited batches I wish you the best luck, but I can assure you that it takes a lot of time if you use a more professional approach

[Spotswood]

Here's the final design for the GPU drop-in mount.  It supports the GPUs and front intake fans of a deep Rosewill server chassis.  $50, plus shipping from New Hampshire.  Discounts of 10% and 15% for orders of 2x or 5x+, respectively. I'll start a new thread in the marketplace soon.

EDIT: Already had to make a revisions to the design:

[yun9999]

Where is the FAN mounted?  Behind the GPUs?  How are these rails attach to the case?  Do we still need to drill holes thru the case to mount them?   The place where riser rest on, is it flat for resting riser or is there holes where you can mount the riser on to it to secure the GPU even more so you can do vertical stacking of these 4U server vs just horizontal racking?

P.S Yes you can buy the Rosewill 4U and do the mod yourself for cheaper.............however, it's a lot more tedious work and won't be as good as this solution.  This solution will cut your total install time a lot.  Very excited about this and hope to get even more detail info.   When is this available for shipping and is it possible to put the FAN mount where the GPU front is mounted?  This way it can pull the GPU heat straight out regardless of regular style GPU or front blowing reference style design. 

[IOTUSA]

Here's the final design for the GPU drop-in mount.  It supports the GPUs and front intake fans of a deep Rosewill server chassis.  $50, plus shipping from New Hampshire.  Discounts of 10% and 15% for orders of 2x or 5x+, respectively. I'll start a new thread in the marketplace soon.

What discount can you offer on 50+ or 100+ ? PM me, i might have an idea for cooperating on mining server chassis.

[Spotswood]

Where is the FAN mounted?  Behind the GPUs?  How are these rails attach to the case?  Do we still need to drill holes thru the case to mount them?   The place where riser rest on, is it flat for resting riser or is there holes where you can mount the riser on to it to secure the GPU even more so you can do vertical stacking of these 4U server vs just horizontal racking?

P.S Yes you can buy the Rosewill 4U and do the mod yourself for cheaper.............however, it's a lot more tedious work and won't be as good as this solution.  This solution will cut your total install time a lot.  Very excited about this and hope to get even more detail info.   When is this available for shipping and is it possible to put the FAN mount where the GPU front is mounted?  This way it can pull the GPU heat straight out regardless of regular style GPU or front blowing reference style design.  

The chassis front intake fans are attached directly to the extrusions (in the model, the two horizontal beams at the tail-end of the GPUs).  The location of the beam that the GPU mounting brackets are attached to can be positioned anywhere along the depth of the chassis.  So if your GPUs aren't too long, there will be enough room to re-position the row of middle fans that are included with the chassis.  Note also that the GPUs could be mounted with the brackets at the front of the case i.e. rotate the GPUs 90-degrees.

The bracket is wedged-in into the chassis, so permanently securing it to the chassis won't be absolutely necessary.

The risers should be loosely attached to the extrusions (otherwise the insulation material might be punctured) via the supplied nuts that will go into the slotted extrusion, which should allow the chassis to be rotated onto its side.

Small quantities will be ready to ship next week.

[Spotswood]

Two more improvements.

• The GPU support beam now attaches to the sides of the case.
• The front fans are support by two beams (and posts).  The beams are two pieces allowing the fans and bracket to be inserted into the case and then expanded for a tight fit.

[yun9999]

Two more improvements.

• The GPU support beam now attaches to the sides of the case.
• The front fans are support by two beams (and posts).  The beams are two pieces allowing the fans and bracket to be inserted into the case and then expanded for a tight fit.

Can we get a visual with the GPU and Fans mounted.    Trying to visualize if the FANs are on the edge of the case and the GPU are facing the middle of the case or whether GPU will face the edge and the FANs are in the middle blowing the heat out.  How does the GPU mount to the side of the case wall?  Just via the tight fit?   Cant wait to Beta test this.

[Spotswood]

I didn't model the cage that goes around the fan.  The three fan "cages" are attached to the front beams.  The GPU support beam brackets are bolted to the sides of the case using existing holes (near the mid-point of the chassis).

I should have real pics tomorrow.

[anticlimax]

When I built my open frames, I sourced materials for roughly $80 CAD shipped, per unit.
Definitely takes some time and the proper tools.
Be prepared for metal shavings embedded in your fingers for days.
How far apart are those GPUs spaced?
$300 USD seems a little steep, research or not, there is a limit people are willing to spend.

[topgeek]

What case is your 8020 subframe designed to go into?

[Q_R_V]

$300 USD seems a little steep, research or not, there is a limit people are willing to spend.

Exactly, ROI is the most important thing in this business. Why should i spend 300$ for a case if i can get nice, solid and fully stackable open frame for under 50$?

[Spotswood]

When I built my open frames, I sourced materials for roughly $80 CAD shipped, per unit.
Definitely takes some time and the proper tools.
Be prepared for metal shavings embedded in your fingers for days.
How far apart are those GPUs spaced?
$300 USD seems a little steep, research or not, there is a limit people are willing to spend.

The GPUs are ~20mm apart.  I've been building mining frame for years.  Fingers are almost as hard as aluminum at this point.

What case is your 8020 subframe designed to go into?

Rosewill EATX server chassis i.e.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091IZ1ZG/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$300 USD seems a little steep, research or not, there is a limit people are willing to spend.

Exactly, ROI is the most important thing in this business. Why should i spend 300$ for a case if i can get nice, solid and fully stackable open frame for under 50$?

The idea for a full-blown GPU server case has been abandoned.  Now focusing on the less expensive "drop-in"" frame.

[mojoxc]

$300 USD seems a little steep, research or not, there is a limit people are willing to spend.

Exactly, ROI is the most important thing in this business. Why should i spend 300$ for a case if i can get nice, solid and fully stackable open frame for under 50$?

If there was a case solution for less than $250 and you were doing a mass deployment for a very large facility and you could get a miner fully assembled in the server case, it actually comes out cheaper as now you aren't building the rigs at the facility which reduces the time for deployment which reduces labor cost .  Also, commercial spaces don't allow the hobbyist material of wood and pvc pipe that a lot of hobbyist use because of insurance purposes..

[yun9999]

$300 USD seems a little steep, research or not, there is a limit people are willing to spend.

Exactly, ROI is the most important thing in this business. Why should i spend 300$ for a case if i can get nice, solid and fully stackable open frame for under 50$?

  His new $50 drop in solution will make the complete server case solution more affordable and faster to deploy than anyone else on the market.  Gray Matters sells you only a Shell for $395 without even fans!  I don't believe you can buy any respectable open frame for under $50, but even then that's a different market.   Large farm needs to be efficient in space and have better control of the cool air and hot air flow.   I build my own wooden rig and even though the material is like $8-10 bucks, what's the cost in your time to cut it, etc.   I've bought many different frames, built my own, put aluminum bars in the racks, etc.  Every solution have their own pros and cons.  You can see some of my rigs evolution in the picture below from wooden rigs, to aluminum bar inside the 4ft wide rack, to Chinese open air rigs.  I also have acrylic rigs, etc.  

The final evolution is to these server cases as you can put up to 10 per 42U rack which can house up to 70 GPU per Rack in a 24" wide foot print vs 48" where I can only host about 2 more rigs in the middle.  The Chinese rigs waste even more space and can only house up to 8 rigs.  Space efficiency and better heat flow management is why people are considering these server case solutions.  However if I have to pay Gray Matter's prices, I will never even consider this route.  This is not a solution for everyone, it's more catered toward flexibility and faster deployment.  If you're doing server cases, more than likely you're not just building 1 rig so ease and speed of deployment is very important and that's why you would pay the $50 premium.  

   

[Spotswood]

@yun9999 asked me to verify that this can be re-configured to have the GPUs mounted at the front of the case.





There is 45mm between the front fan and the GPU.







Verified that this'll work with the case on its side.

[balazarek]

Very nice. Where did you buy this case ?

[ps_jb]

Very nice. Where did you buy this case ?

Amazon

http://a.co/h95SrAJ

[Talat10gu]

80~$ is too much for case i believe but its good  if it is really good at cooling

[Q_R_V]

Verified that this'll work with the case on its side.

How did you secured frame inside the case, i don't see any screws. Doesn't it wiggle a bit?

[Spotswood]

Verified that this'll work with the case on its side.

How did you secured frame inside the case, i don't see any screws. Doesn't it wiggle a bit?

It's wedged into the case really well, which will make it harder to install for some, so I'm working on a revision to loosen the fit a bit and securing it to one of those holes you can see on the case side.

[Spotswood]

Verified that this'll work with the case on its side.

How did you secured frame inside the case, i don't see any screws. Doesn't it wiggle a bit?

It's wedged into the case really well, which will make it harder to install for some, so I'm working on a revision to loosen the fit a bit and securing it to one of those holes you can see on the case side.

I added a couple of posts to secure the bracket to the sides of the case.   

[Nikolaj]

Verified that this'll work with the case on its side.

How did you secured frame inside the case, i don't see any screws. Doesn't it wiggle a bit?

good luck with that..

http://www.xtremehardware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43454

80+20+20 bucks, yeah... I've spent almost 500 with tools, time, details, modding, hassle, etc, etc



Installing 300W TDP VGA's it's another thing, that 150W versions. VEGA and 1080Tis will require another kind of designs

[Spotswood]

Verified that this'll work with the case on its side.

How did you secured frame inside the case, i don't see any screws. Doesn't it wiggle a bit?

good luck with that..

http://www.xtremehardware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43454

80+20+20 bucks, yeah... I've spent almost 500 with tools, time, details, modding, hassle, etc, etc

Installing 300W TDP VGA's it's another thing, that 150W versions. VEGA and 1080Tis will require another kind of designs

I''m not sure what you are implying here, but this is just another/different solution to the same problem.

[Nikolaj]

I am simply telling you that it will cost a lot more than 120 bucks. If you add fans, shipment and other details, you're in the 300/325$ range for a chassis, and for a general one. What I've shown there, in early 2014, it was a design based on a commercial product like the ones you've shown. Totally incompatible, thermally and mechanically, with yours, and customer needs.

Images speaks clearly.

[Spotswood]

The for sale thread is up:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1731197.msg17321956#msg17321956