The Hive - A Barebones ITX PC Case

I started on this design just a month or so after finishing the Herringbone, and once again it was designed to solve a problem. I was building a CRT Emudriver PC, A cheap PC with outdated hardware and custom drivers for use with a consumer CRT TV. Instead of dropping $60 on an ITX case or spending $20 on STL files for a fancy 3D-printed design, I decided to further develop my CAD skills by making my own. This time, I went with a conventional hexagonal pattern rather than the quirky herringbone pattern, hence the name “The Hive”.

The Design

Similarly to the Herringbone, I used a multi-tiered design with a lower that housed the GPU and PSU, an central frame that housed the motherboard, and a cover panel that allows for a 140mm fan to be mounted. The fan spans the entire front portion of the case and provides cooling to every component.

When I say that this design is barebones, I mean it. There is no FP USB, Reset button, or even FP LED present. The only form of I/O is a 12x12mm pushbutton with a nice hexagonal cap glued on top used as a power button.

The lower features room for a TFX PSU (commonly used in 1u servers) and a single fan GPU, in my case an AMD R7 360. There is also an installable GPU anti-sag pillar which is installable and can be rotated to match the GPU’s length.

Conclusions

Overall, it’s minimal and basic but gets the job done very well.

I waited a while to document this one, as I didn’t feel that it was that significant. However, since I have recently uploaded the CAD files here, It seemed like a good idea to write a little bit about it. You can actually see in the pictures that the case was printed and painted long enough ago that its coat of blue spraypaint has quite a few scuffs around the edges, so I’ll probably repaint it white (to match my 20” JVC TV) with a nice enamel topcoat this summer for future protection.

As for the design itself, I am very happy with the airflow, presentation, and especially its compact form factor. Although, if I ever design another PC case again, it will hopefully be less of a box and more of a smooth, curved shape. Until then, I am very happy with this design and will probably update it in the future to make it more feature-complete.