Dual NVMe SSD & AI Accelerator DIY Building Kit Case for Raspberry Pi 5

Specifications

• Compatible Board: Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB / 8GB)
• Storage Expansion: Dual M.2 NVMe SSD slots (via PCIe interface)
• AI Support: Dedicated slot for PCIe-based AI Accelerator modules
• Cooling System: Dual front-mounted RGB active cooling fans + heatsinks
• Display: Front-mounted OLED status screen (displays CPU load, RAM usage, Temp, and IP address)
• Accessibility: Front-facing MicroSD card slot and Power Button
• Chassis Material: Aluminum/metal framework with clear acrylic/glass side panels
• Supported OS: Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu, Kali Linux, Umbrel OS, Homebridge, Home Assistant
• Power Requirement: 5V / 5A

Minimum hardware 

• Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB or 8GB)  required as the core computing engine. The case's internal PCIe expansion board, port cutouts, and GPIO routing are exclusively designed for the Pi 5 architecture and will not fit older models.
• 27W (5V/5A) USB-C Power Supply  essential to provide sufficient current. Standard phone chargers cannot power a Pi 5 running at full load alongside dual NVMe SSDs, an OLED screen, and dual RGB fans without triggering severe under-voltage throttling.
• MicroSD Card (loaded with OS)  required to boot the system initially and configure the config.txt file to enable the Pi 5's external PCIe lanes for your NVMe or AI modules.

Safety Warnings

• PCIe Ribbon Cable Care: The FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) connecting the Pi 5 to the expansion board is highly sensitive. Do NOT fold or crease it sharply; bend it gently into a smooth curve to prevent breaking internal traces.
• Static Sensitivity (ESD): M.2 NVMe SSDs and AI accelerators are highly susceptible to static shock. Always ground yourself by touching a bare metal surface before handling the drives or the bare Pi 5 board.
• No Hot-Swapping: Never attempt to insert or remove an M.2 SSD or AI module while the enclosure is powered on. Doing so will permanently damage the expansion board and the Pi 5 PCIe controller.

Accessories Included in the Box

• 1× Premium Aluminum/Glass Mini-Tower Chassis
• 1× Dual M.2 NVMe / AI Accelerator PCIe Expansion Board
• 1× Front OLED Status Display Panel with Power Button
• 2× RGB PWM Active Cooling Fans
• 1× MicroSD Card Slot Extender module
• 1× GPIO Extender Block and FFC Ribbon Cable
• 1× Complete set of mounting standoffs, screws, and thermal pads

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is this case compatible with the Raspberry Pi 4?
  No, this case is specifically engineered for the Raspberry Pi 5 and its dedicated PCIe FFC interface, board layout, and port positioning.
• Can I use both M.2 NVMe slots and an AI accelerator simultaneously?
  Yes, the internal PCIe expansion board manages the PCIe lanes to support dual M.2 SSD storage alongside supported M.2 AI accelerator modules.
• Does this case support full 2280 size M.2 NVMe SSDs?
  Yes, the expansion board features standard mounting standoffs accommodating common M.2 form factors including 2280, 2242, and 2230.
• Which operating systems are supported by the front OLED screen and control scripts?
  The OLED status display and control scripts are fully supported on Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu, Kali Linux, Home Assistant, and Umbrel OS.
• What power supply is required to run the Pi 5 with dual NVMe drives and RGB fans?
  You must use an official 27W (5V/5A) USB-C power supply to ensure sufficient current for the board, dual SSDs, OLED display, and active cooling fans.
  
• Can I power this setup using a standard 5V/3A USB-C phone charger?
  No, a 15W (5V/3A) adapter will cause under-voltage throttling and may result in drive brownouts when writing heavy data across dual NVMe drives.
  
• How much power do the dual RGB fans draw during operation?
  The dual cooling fans draw minimal power (less than 2W combined) and receive regulated 5V power via the Pi 5 dedicated fan connector.
• How does the case connect to the Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe interface? The included high-speed Flexible Flat Cable (FFC) connects directly from the Pi 5 onboard PCIe ribbon connector to the expansion board.
  
• Does the case block access to the Raspberry Pi 5 GPIO header?
  No, the kit includes a GPIO pass-through extension block, allowing you to access all 40 GPIO pins from the exterior panel.
  
• How does the front OLED display communicate with the Pi 5?
  The front OLED display connects via the I2C bus routed through the GPIO header extension adapter.
• Do I need special drivers to use NVMe SSDs with the Raspberry Pi 5?
  No, NVMe support is built natively into the Raspberry Pi OS kernel; you only need to enable dtparam=nvme in the /boot/firmware/config.txt file.
  
• How do I configure the front OLED screen to show system stats?
  You can install the official open-source Python status daemon script from GitHub to automatically output CPU temp, RAM usage, storage stats, and IP address.
• Why is my NVMe SSD not showing up in lsblk or the desktop?
  Ensure the PCIe ribbon cable is fully seated in the connector with the locking latch closed, and confirm that dtparam=nvme is added to your config file.
  
• Why are my dual RGB fans spinning at maximum speed constantly?
  Check that the fan control script is installed and running, and verify that the 4-pin fan connector is firmly plugged into the Pi 5 PWM fan socket.
  
• Why is the front OLED screen blank after booting?
  Ensure I2C is enabled via sudo raspi-config and that the OLED driver background service is enabled and started on boot.