The Inverted Motherboard Configuration: A New Perspective in Case Design

In this groundbreaking design, Seasonic has taken a bold step by incorporating an inverted motherboard configuration into their new case. This innovative approach allows for a more efficient airflow and a cleaner cable management system. With the motherboard mounted upside down, the GPU can be positioned at the top of the case, creating a unique and aesthetically pleasing setup. This design feature is particularly exciting for enthusiasts who want to showcase their high-end hardware.

The inverted configuration also offers several practical benefits. For instance, it allows for a triple GPU setup in the last available slot on the motherboard tray, which can be beneficial for those who want to build a powerful system with multiple graphics cards. Additionally, this design enables the use of a right angle connector extension cable or bracket to connect the right angle connectors on larger motherboards without causing stress on the motherboard or tray.

However, it is essential to note that not all components will thrive in this configuration. The maximum CPU cooler height is 185 millimeters, which may limit the choice of certain coolers. Similarly, the maximum GPU length is 385 millimeters, and while there is room for a 360-millimeter radiator in both the top and front compartments, there may not be enough space at the rear to accommodate a standard 140-millimeter radiator. Nevertheless, the case does provide two 3.5-inch base mounting points, which can be used interchangeably with three 2.5-inch or two 3.5-inch drives.

The overall design of this case is impressive, with minimal plastic usage and extensive metal construction. The brushed aluminum feet are a particular highlight, adding a touch of sophistication to the overall aesthetic. While it may take some time to fully appreciate the benefits of this design, enthusiasts can already see the potential for increased airflow and reduced cable management issues.

A Full Build and Initial Impressions

As with any new case or component, it is essential to put them through their paces before making a final judgment. The author has had the opportunity to build several systems using this case, including an AMD Epic build and a Threadripper Pro setup. While the inverted motherboard configuration can be challenging at times, it ultimately proves to be worth the effort.

The Seasonic 850W power supply is another feature of this case that warrants attention. As part of this particular build, the author has been able to put the power supply through its paces and is impressed by its performance. The use of a new Q704 design is particularly noteworthy, as it represents a significant departure from traditional power supply designs.

Power supplies have long been an area where innovation is overdue, and the introduction of this new design is a welcome change. By allowing motherboard manufacturers to synthesize any necessary voltages, rather than relying on 12-volt-only solutions, Seasonic has made a compelling case for improved efficiency and reduced bulk. This change can only benefit enthusiasts who value flexibility and customization in their power supplies.

Conclusion

The inverted motherboard configuration in this Seasonic case is an exciting development that promises to revolutionize the way we design and build computers. By embracing innovation and pushing the boundaries of what is possible, manufacturers like Seasonic are helping to drive progress in the industry. While not without its challenges, this design offers numerous benefits for enthusiasts who want to create unique and powerful systems. As the author continues to explore this case and its capabilities, one thing is clear: this is a game-changer that will have far-reaching consequences for the world of computer hardware.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhoa what better time to launch a new product this is exciting it's a brand new c-sonic power supply but they said this one's going to be a little different let's take a look you like standards i like standards too this wood screw was just about a hundred years old takes a flat head so you know it's a screw that i really haven't changed a lot i guess most wood screws now probably pause the drive so that you know it doesn't uh doesn't cam out because dealing with a flat head it's not really a lot of fun standards are good standards and power supplies are good right those really haven't changed since uh well i think they've only really changed twice and then they just keep bolting on more stuff so the original ibm xt had two connectors which you could reverse oops i plugged it in the wrong order well it depended on your power supply then there was atx it was a 20 pin not a 24 pin and then which voltages were important to the computer changed it was 5 volts and then it was 3.3 volts and 5 volts and then it was 12 volts and 5 volts and then it was just 12 volts i don't know what that is fan control you can do hybrid mode that means the fan turns off completely if you're running sufficiently under wattage this is an 850 watt power supply that's for custom loop so there must be there must be some mistake i've got the power supply which is not modular and then i've got these connectors here this does not look like a motherboard connector at all and then i've got all these modular cables there has to be some some kind of a mistake oh wait check this out so this look you've got your fan control you've got your rgb distribution hub you've got your power you've got your graphics card connections you've got your motherboard connections and your pci express power this this goes on the inside of your case so you put this behind the motherboard tray and you put this power supply in where you would normally this ends up just being a feeder cable to feed this and this is where your power distribution is but you know it'd be easier if i just show you this is the synchro q7 so yeah you don't have to have the seasonic case but season is making cases synchro accessory box this is a white glove affair velcro strips cleaning cloth and lots of mounting hardware and a nice attractive reusable plastic box that's a nice touch cool look at that and check this out inverted motherboard mounting position transportation lock remove first oh it's screwed in oh that's some hefty attractive aluminum it's got a little rubber thing you could reuse this save it hey i like that it's a nice magnetic seal i like some of the little details in this case it does have separate headphone and microphone connectors at the top it's got you know full usb 5 gigabit ports at the top two of those and one usb type c let's get a full power button and a full reset button now you might have noticed the other side panel it has a cutout it has a cutout for cable routing so you could get fancy with a cable route or 3d print some accessories or do some other fancy things but i think that's where this goes can you see the separation on the front here it's kind of like this metal angle thing that gives it a certain look for fans we're dealing with something premium here four really high-end looking fans these look suspiciously familiar all right so i think if you want to buy this case without the power supply you'll be fine obviously it comes with all the stuff it's just a standard mounting kit but if you get the power supply see there's this cable shroud on this side which remains this is the part you can see through the side the side panel so it's also got little magnets in it so you could use it without the screws i guess if you want now you might remember this looks a little familiar you know as i work on this and sort of swap out the energy and get the power supply set up we've seen this before at computex remember in the before times when you could travel this is something that csonic has been working on for years i don't think they had to come up with their own case in order to show the utility of this idea but you know atx power supplies haven't changed a lot in the last few years and oems are switching to 12 volt only solutions where you've only got a 12 volt cable that runs to the motherboard but for enthusiasts and builders i don't know if we're there yet this might make a pretty reasonable stepping stone so these power connections will be available right in the uh motherboard cavity now i've got this fancy fan y cable which goes to the front fans but with the sea sonic distribution thing i can just plug those directly in warning use only cables provided by c sonic can confirm if you intend to do mining please contact seasonic for special cables if you intend to do mining please contact seasonic for special cables that have been laced with polonium so you get what you deserve i'm just kidding that's how we all feel right so look how much room you have coming out of that and that's basically it that's the extent of your power supply cabling everything else connects to this distribution block including your rgb so you can see you'll have short little cpu power cables that come to here because remember your motherboard is inverted and then on the on this side you've got all your accessory cables so you've got all your gpu power that you might need up there and you've got your motherboard connector right here which on most motherboards just means you have a little short cable coming across here to your motherboard and there's still room to hide your cables so you can stuff your extra cables back in here and then they come over there it's pretty smart really one thing that i would have loved to have seen in this case especially if you're contemplating a threadripper pro build is uh a little bit more room at the top here because with the motherboard inverted the gpu could be face up at the top of the case so it's seven slots at the back if it were you know nine slots at the back you could put a triple gpu in the very last slot on your motherboard and the tooling and stuff for this case would only be a little bit different you know i think see something could do a thousand unit run of that and sell every one of them because how cool would it be to have your you know your heat generating gpu at the top of your case you know bringing fresh air in from the top exhausting you know at the side or whatever and your threadripper pro motherboard inverted i think that would be pretty awesome in terms of official motherboard compatibility it's atx e atx itx of course and micro atx now one minor oversight that you should be aware of on this seasonic case is this right angle here if you're using one of these larger than life threadripper motherboards that have a right angle connector on the front edge it is going to be a little problematic see us here this is in at an angle i really should use a right angle extension cable or a right angle bracket so that it's not putting stress on the motherboard uh the tray if it were the tray would set back just a little bit more this would actually work really well but as it is it's a little problematic the maximum cpu cooler height is 185 millimeters so keep that in mind if you're gonna go for a tower cooler and the maximum gpu length is 385 millimeters there is room for a 360 millimeter radiator in both the top and the front but note there's not quite enough room at the rear for a 140 millimeter radiator although it's got screw holes for 140 millimeter fan you might be able to make 140 millimeter radiator work at the at the rear sandwiching the fan between the case and the radiator but i don't see sonic doesn't recommend that there are three two and a half inch base at the rear of the motherboard tray and two three and a half inch base which of course you can use the three and a half inch base for two and a half inch as well that's fine but it's a pretty good amount of expandability considering that this case isn't overly large and it is a lot metal like the feet are a very nice brushed aluminum metal there's there's very little plastic on this case really i think i've really got to do a full build in this system to know exactly what it's all about but i got far enough along with my amd epic build and i get far enough along with the threadripper build that i sort of know what it's about i like the inverted motherboard configuration i've been running that for a while in another case it does make things a little challenging with some things like if you were going to go with a threadripper build and you wanted a cpu cooler like the ice giant thermo siphon this case is not gonna be a good choice not because there's not enough room but because the thermosiphon depends on being oriented a certain way and if your case orients it upside down or if you're trying to use threadripper pro like cooler's not gonna work but that's few and far between you know an aio or a tower cooler is gonna work perfectly fine in this case just consider what direction your air is gonna flow and that's pretty much all you gotta worry about now as with everything you know all the wrinkles come out when you do a full build and use it for a while i'm also really impressed by the fans uh from looking at them and doing a few little experiments with them they look like they're really pretty high-end fans but we'll only know for sure once i get that built done i'm widdle this is level one this has been a quick look at seasonic's new power supply uh the 850 watts in this particular build and their new q704 they're doing something different and i think that should be encouraged because well power supplies have uh needed to be disrupted for a while now um you know most oem motherboards use 12 volt only i'd love to see that in the enthusiast space where the motherboard synthesize any voltages they need other than 12 volts you know minus 5 volts and plus 3.3 volts and minus 3.3 volts they can just figure that out on their own with voltage pumps we don't we don't need to run those from the power supply it just makes the power supply bulkier and weirder than it needs to be so i welcome this change i'm one of those level one i'm signing out you can find me in the level one forums probably with some follow-ups on this build i'll see you there\n"