The Jonsbo N3 case with a twist

As a case for all 3 nodes I’ve gone with a Jonsbo N3, I really like the form factor of this case! I have however changed some things about here, below are the modifications I’d suggest.

Twisting the internals

We’re going to modify the internals of the Jonsbo N3 NAS case a bit or rather, re-arrange it! Although the default layout is pretty good I would like a bit more airflow then using a Minisforum BD790i motherboard allows for.

Using this motherboard it’s not possible to fit the 2x 80mm fans in the included spots for these on the back of the case. The motherboard construction basically prevents this.

Next to that, because of adding lots of M.2 add-on cards I would like some extra airflow that will move over these too that only having exhaust fans would not have accomplished.

Let’s go over the changes in regards to layout and what makes these possible:

HDplex 250w GAN PSU

Instead of using a SFX PSU as the case was designed for we are swapping over to a HDplex 250w GAN PSU which is a much smaller form factor. When everything is said and done you can hide this PSU near the front of the case allowing for the addition of 2 front fans.

2x front 92mm fans

Because of changing the PSU form factor and location we can now fit 2x 92mm front fans. I’ve chosen 2x Noctua 92mm redux fans which are connected using a PWM fan splitter cable to a single motherboard header. This header is controller by the motherboard in BIOS and can be set to respond to CPU usage or the motherboard temperature sensors.

The fans are attached using rubber gaskets to try and and minimize vibration noise as much as possible. We are also using plastic washes attaching them to the front panel.

These fans will also provide a bit of airflow for the HDplex 250w GAN PSU and the PCIe x16 Bifurcation with the SATA controllers and such. The extra NIC that’s connected to the internal WiFi slot I have modded into the case also gets a bit of airflow over it’s heatsink this way, next to of course providing a bit of airflow moving hot air from the CPU out of the case.

5v buck-converter

The changed layout also gives room to house the buck-converter to generate 5v and the required cable splitters.

2x bottom 92mm fans

The bottom fans we will also replace with 2x 92mm Noctua Redux fans also connecting to a x2 PWM Splitter cable fitted to the second header on the motherboard. Automatic control for this fan is a bit harder since we can’t base it off HDD temperature so a set value or also changing together with CPU temperature is the best.

We also used a rubber gasket to dampen vibrations as much as possible. As an experiment to decouple even more I had also used some rubber o-rings on these fans trying to minimize the contact between the fan and the chassis as much as possible. This might be a bit “over the top” but hey!