New SFF gamers case: presentation and advices

MassiveOverkill said:
I like the first design better. The second design forces you to remove your mobo tray to install/remove your video cards, which can be a pain, especially in SLI/Crossfire setups. I would like to see the hard drives mounted over the back of the video cards in a removeable caddy. You would still have plenty of clearance for tower heat sinks. I would also like to see the AC power plug moved to the center or below the 120mm fan, which needs to be moved up so it can better scavange hot air at the top of the case.
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I would like you guys to know that we paid a LOT of attention to the fact that MOST of the components in this case are removable. So NO, you do not have to pull the tray out to install your video card, neither in the first nor the second design. In fact, the bracket that goes over the video card is totally removable. All the removable parts in the case are, as of the current design, mounted using VERY high quality hardware/insert that will allow you my friends to unmount and re mount your case as many time as you want without damaging the thread.:cool::D (we thought you might like this particular detail)

I also posted this picture to show you a bit better how the power supply fits in the case. If you look carefully, you can see 2 of the 2.5" slots under the 5.25" bay.

The fans shown in the picture: top one: 92mm for HDD (25mm deep compatible) - or 80mm x 80mm x 25 mm; bottom one: 60mm x 10 mm for RAM.

For those of you who are concerned about the front of the case, I would like to add that we will make different face compatible with the case, some with and without grills. So people will be able to choose depending on their needs/wants. Same for the side window. It will be an option at first.

I will answer some more of your questions later today. Be patient! :p
 
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I like the overall design, but where's the room for the 240mm radiator? :D Did you guys entertain mounting the PSU over the expansion slots, if so how much did it change the overall dimensions? I'm just flippin' my jib over here, so don't consider any of this criticism. If I didn't have empty cases laying around already I would love to grab this thing at $~200.
 
RonindeBeatrice said:
I like the overall design, but where's the room for the 240mm radiator? :D Did you guys entertain mounting the PSU over the expansion slots, if so how much did it change the overall dimensions? I'm just flippin' my jib over here, so don't consider any of this criticism. If I didn't have empty cases laying around already I would love to grab this thing at $~200.
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We did looking into mounting the PSU over the expansion slots but it made the size of the case much larger. We wanted to keep it as compact as possible. So we put it in front.
Putting the PSU over the graphic card was also not considered the best option for heat dissipation.
You can actually fit a 240mm radiator (it was part of what we wanted possible!! ;)) if you mod the graphic card bracket and the top of the case.
And no, it will be less than $200. We are trying everything we can to NOT exceed $180.

Please, do not hesitate to leave your 2 cents. The more feedback we get, the better the case becomes. Positive feedback are also welcome!:D
 
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any chance a version with honeycomb grills (or wire mesh) instead of plexiglass window?

oh..and ditch the 40mm fan option. is that really necessary? those things don't cool enough for the amount of noise they make. besides, it would just take another fan port or 12v plug (more wires) in a tight case.

my .02
 
I understand you have a cover- I want to know if the entire 5.25 bay will be clear if the cover is removed, like Lian Li's optical bezels. The render makes it look like the only openings are for the tray and the eject button.

I don't want to be a dick, but I do want this case to be freakin' sweet :)
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At this point, we would have to modify it so that it's totally clear.
The best option would be to install a bezel similar the the Lian Li. This is something we are looking into right now.
 
Cliff Couser said:
any chance a version with honeycomb grills (or wire mesh) instead of plexiglass window?

oh..and ditch the 40mm fan option. is that really necessary? those things don't cool enough for the amount of noise they make. besides, it would just take another fan port or 12v plug (more wires) in a tight case.

my .02
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Keep giving us your $0.02!!!!:p
#1 Yes, we could have a honeycomb grill or wire mesh instead of the plexiglass window. But most likely, the first version will have discrete openings (Lian Li style) on the side and no window.

#2 The 40mm fan for the RAM that you see in the first prototype was replaced by a 60mm fan (optional). So it's up to you. Forcing air directly on the memory is not always necessary, especially with mild overclocking. So we are leaving this option to the final users. But we thought that some people (extreme overclockers) might like that. You'll also notice the way it pushes the air on the memory is more efficient than many system available on the market. On top of that, we are talking about outside fresh air, which increase cooling efficiency that much more!
 
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I like black mesh. Please use that on the front and the side nearest the video cards. Plexiglass windows look cheap in my opinon. I also like having a grill on the front (black mesh) to assist with more airflow. I'm in for one of these if it turns out! Keep up the good work, it's great to see some people working on something they are passionate about, seems like this would be a fun project.
 
Thank you CJRP for the compliment, we are very passionate about small form factor case design in general. We picked the mATX format because lots of mainstream motherboard manufacturer are now designing for it. We are also working on a mini ATX case that will blow away the competition we hope.:p
We are considering the black mesh on the side for the video card. On the front, we can add it but it is not a necessity at this point. So we might put it or not depending on the look mostly.
But we will offer a few different front for the case for people to choose from.
I hope that will help make everybody happy.
 
I love the idea for the case.

Keep the cost at or below $160.00

Second the opinion of Plexiglas looking cheap; black mesh looks and flows more air.

Thank you for sharing.
 
I really like the way this case is progressing.
That said, I second to remove the 40mm fan, they're more noise than anything for a case.
Also, the PSU plug on the back panel still looks out of place above the fan to me. I'd like to see the fan moved up and the PSU plug below it so that it flows with the plugs on the motherboard panel... This way you don't have one cord that hangs over the height of the case, instead it'll be more easily managed along with the motherboard connectors.
How will wire management be handled inside the case? Hopefully there's cut-outs and space under the motherboard tray, etc, to run wires hidden.
 
I love what you're doing here. I'm an efficiency "expert" (I train my coworkers in how to do their jobs more efficiently), and I like the thought processes here. I can't wait to see the ATX design, and hopefully, a kickass ITX design, too.
 
I wonder how noisey that 60mm fan would be? So far I like what you are doing but I don't care for small fans being that they tend to be rather noisey but since its just fresh air blown onto RAM something slow moving may not be too bad.
 
I think leaving the mounting holes for a 60mm fan would be just fine instead of including a fan.
 
I like case windows, just not slotted plexi. Give me solid plexi or meta/mesh. I like revision 2 the best. Also agree with other posters -- really tiny fans may serve a purpose, but aren't practical IMO
 
mattinv,

My .02, I think you're doing a bang-up job on the revision's. When I viewed the first page...as others mentioned. The oval opening wasn't doing it for me, and I instantly thought of my V350, the openings are on the bottom, but you already went this route.

Leave the front clean. Second, I agree with pork chops here, solid plexi or actually no window would look nice. The vent's remind me of a Thermaltake or Ultra lanbox...looks cheap, or maybe the proper term would be gawdy. As of late, it seems the case industry has taken this route - be a contrarian. ;)

Although, this is just my opinion, I don't expect others to agree.

Simple, elegant, understated - does sell. Your internals do look well thought out. No need to "overdo it" here...the 60mm fan...seems to smell of overkill. No need to completely re-invent the wheel, although some innovation is necessary and I believe you've accomplished this goal - in spades.

M-Itx form factor

I will mention, as I look around the market for my ideal mITX case, which is room for at least a 5850...I see nothing I would spend my money on.

There is a market for a case like this...and as small form factor pc's grow in popularity, I think the demand curve will steepen quite sharply. When the new P55 mITX motherboards are just about to hit the streets with PCI-e slots...I see case manufacturers still ignoring this part of the sector.

I liken this to GM ramping up production on trucks...when the customer want's Hybrids. Always behind the curve...burgeoning demand will bring them around, wouldn't hurt to be positioned first...

Whatever you end up doing, I'll buy one to support you. USA made? Advertise this heavily. I've been having trouble finding products with this stamp...for about a decade.

Liquid Cool
 
“Keep the cost below $160”
We would love to be able to do that. But for now, because the case is made here in the US in limited quantities, we are closer to $180. We are hoping to bring it down to $160 over the next year if possible.

“Plexiglass looking cheap; black mesh looks and flows more air”
We are going to propose a version that will have a black mesh instead of the plexiglass.

The 40mm fan has been definitively removed and replaced by an optional 60mm fan for the memory. (see REV 2)

The PSU plug needs to be attached to be attached to the case frame. If you were to put the PSU plug below the fan, it will most likely have to be attached to the motherboard tray. Could you maybe post a quick drawing of what you have in mind?

Wire management is a real issue because it is VERY tight. We integrated quite a few cut-outs but we are not very stratified yet. We have tried to create a few pockets for the cables to be pushed into. In the same time, with such a small case and high end equipment, what can we really do?:(

Kil4thril: I’m very efficient myself. But I believe it has a lot to do with to the fact that I’m very passionate about my work.:D

M-ITX: we are going to bring a spectacular case. We are focusing on finishing our Micro ATX for now. But think about compact, good aeration and compatible with a 5850/5870. The only limitation you’ll have will be the power supply, which is limited to about 450W as far as we know. We do believe that the Micro ATX will be the next mainstream ATX, and that the ITX will replace the Micro ATX for small form factor.
 
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Wow, add me to the list of folks who will buy this on day one...

Personally, I don't mind the clear windows. In fact, for an SFF I find them especially helpful for routing cables, but to each his own.
 
mattinv said:
M-ITX: we are going to bring a spectacular case. We are focusing on finishing our Micro ATX for now. But think about compact, good aeration and compatible with a 5850/5870. The only limitation you’ll have will be the power supply, which is limited to about 450W as far as we know. We do believe that the Micro ATX will be the next mainstream ATX, and that the ITX will replace the Micro ATX for small form factor.
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I'm not so sure; with 3-way SLI/Quad CF and video cards approaching 12" long, it may be awhile before we see that day.
 
;)Allow me to re-iterate. The ATX format is slowly going to disappear since we need and produce always smaller and more powerfull equipment. Micro ATX and Mini ATX are taking over (Pico ITX is also growing). Also, keep in mind that some people at Intel and AMD believe that discrete video cards are also on their way out...
When you think there is less than 3% of the gaming PC out there equipped with an SLI/Crossfire set up, there is probably 0.1% or less equipped with a 3 ways or Quad SLI/Crossfire.
My comment referred to the general trend, and not really to the few that can afford such an expensive set up (a large crowd out there actually believes that SLI/Crossfire is useless).
But when it comes to 12" long card, they can fit in a well designed Micro ATX case:D. Like this specific one!
 
The latest rendering:

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The version without the plexiglass window will not have the large opening on the side.
We tried to keep it nice and clean. The perforations used on both sides is similar to what you commonly find on Lian-Li cases.
 
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Don't keep on comparing yourself to another company! Pictures work better with close ups! (though I know these are just prototype renders).
 
I am loving this case so far. I've been in the market for a mATX case for a long time. Can you further elaborate on what you have to do to 'mod' the bracket to fit a radiator? And where would you house the pump in the case. Water cooling is a big factor for me and why I haven't found a mATX that fully fits my needs, without being too large. Which I feel defeats the purpose of a mATX build.

An another note. Just from this case so far.. I can not WAIT! to see what you guys do for a mITX case. Actually hands down, I just want to see what you guys plan on doing with mITX. I want to see that market pick up for some reason.
 
Wow thats amazing work! How much is the final versions gonna cost?With and without the window. Can you show some pics of how the psu gets air? And can a h50 fit in here with no modding? Also the power button would look great on the bottom corners or something. Also what are your ideas for the itx case?! Smaller than the sg05? An atx power supply would be awesome!

Edit, also the cutout for the cpu backplate was a great idea! Edit 2, Also forgot, what are the temps like?
 
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The latest render looks like it has a slim-line drive. You guys removed the regular optical drive?
 
I'm really liking the progression of this case. In fact I got some ideas in my head about my build...


sff_prototype_eyes-1.jpg


a turbo button!
 
kuyaglen said:
a turbo button!
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I have 7 Turbo buttons on my keyboard! and another on my dad's ol' pc from windows 3.1 :D
Oh the delicious old memories of being a child and wondering what the turbo button does..

+1 for turbo button mod - you could link it to OC genie or something!



EDIT: I LOVE your bezel for cases. I love bezels, stock OD trays ruin everything. The case itself is looking freaking nice, Ingenious, moving the PSU to the front to allow a larger aftermarket cooler,
Do you mind posting the dimensions of your new rendering? I'm very curious how much volume it takes up.
 
Retail price: around $175 without the window as of today, $180-$185 with the window.
Like I mentioned before, if we get lots of orders, we might be able to bring it down closer to $165 without the window, $170 with. It depends how much demand there is out there for this type of higher end micro ATX case.

We have not tested the temp yet. We are waiting to get the prototype made of this latest version which has an slightly improved airflow compared to the previous one.

Dimension: 8.54" high (217mm) x 14.57" long (370mm) x 11.32" wide (288mm).

As far as the mini ITX project goes, I can only say the case will be better than the SG05 in terms of hardware compatibility. I don't know about being able to put an ATX power supply but we will look into it if this is one of your requirement.
 
That sounds like a good price since the qmirca is hella expensive and this looks to be kinda in its category just alot smaller.
And great! As long as you can find us some good matx psu to go inside those itx cases and the price is low that would be fine. Maybe make it use a sever power supply, the ones that are skinny and long.
 
For the ITX case, you can find a decent 450W PSU that will fit. We are thinking that this should be enough for an OC proc + 1 GPU.
This is correct: the Qmicra is much bigger than this case. Since we are about the size of the SG01, I would refer you to this thread that compares some of the SFF size: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1356688
Our new case is hopefully a bit better and much more compact ;-)
 
lillimon04 said:
That sounds like a good price since the qmirca is hella expensive and this looks to be kinda in its category just alot smaller.
And great! As long as you can find us some good matx psu to go inside those itx cases and the price is low that would be fine. Maybe make it use a sever power supply, the ones that are skinny and long.
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I see it more in the SG01, SG02, and the Tt Lanbox category. The Qmicra is SFF in my thinking but just barely due to its size. Although both the Qmicra and this new cube are both expensive(understandably so considering the high quality material and American labor costs). Its going to be very interesting to see how the finished product competes against all the different popular SFF cases performance wise.

I'm also curious if the Corsair H50 unit can be fitted/implemented into this new case. I think the H50 and its like (if more similar designs hit the market) is going to be more popular amongst the SFF crowd than the ATX crowd so SFF case makers may want to consider this when designing and building a SFF case.
 
I really like the newest rendering of the case, but IMO it's missing 1 thing. Black interior paint. It's relatively cheap to do, and it's a MAJOR selling point for some people.
 
It is nice to see a SFF case being designed, carefully thought out and with feedback from a well informed community. I will give this case serious thought for a portable PC build if I see it on sale in the UK (though knowing the prices over here, $175 will probably translate into £200. Sod's law etc. :S).
 
The case looks cool. I do have some suggestions. I am not a big fan of a U shaped case cover and IMHO would look better with a 3 piece case cover allowing easier access to all parts without having to remove the entire cover if it were a U shape. Besides U shaped covers tend to bend out of shape after time.

Also, with the ports on the side you limit where you can place the case and still have access to the ports. If it were possible to have a space on either side with a blank on the side that is not being used that would make for a more flexible case location.
 
phxcoop said:
The case looks cool. I do have some suggestions. I am not a big fan of a U shaped case cover and IMHO would look better with a 3 piece case cover allowing easier access to all parts without having to remove the entire cover if it were a U shape. Besides U shaped covers tend to bend out of shape after time.

Also, with the ports on the side you limit where you can place the case and still have access to the ports. If it were possible to have a space on either side with a blank on the side that is not being used that would make for a more flexible case location.
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This is one of the reasons why I won't settle for a Q-Pack2. It has to be a Micro Fly for me because of the separate side panels.
 
mattinv said:
For the ITX case, you can find a decent 450W PSU that will fit. We are thinking that this should be enough for an OC proc + 1 GPU.
This is correct: the Qmicra is much bigger than this case. Since we are about the size of the SG01, I would refer you to this thread that compares some of the SFF size: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1356688
Our new case is hopefully a bit better and much more compact ;-)
Click to expand...

Skott said:
I see it more in the SG01, SG02, and the Tt Lanbox category. The Qmicra is SFF in my thinking but just barely due to its size. Although both the Qmicra and this new cube are both expensive(understandably so considering the high quality material and American labor costs). Its going to be very interesting to see how the finished product competes against all the different popular SFF cases performance wise.

I'm also curious if the Corsair H50 unit can be fitted/implemented into this new case. I think the H50 and its like (if more similar designs hit the market) is going to be more popular amongst the SFF crowd than the ATX crowd so SFF case makers may want to consider this when designing and building a SFF case.
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Haha I wasnt comparing the size to the qmicra, but the customization of the case, and how it fits big cpu coolers, two video cards, big powersupplys and some hdds. Ya digg?
 
To address the concerns regarding the U-shape cover.
There is nothing like it on the market in the sense that it is made of solid 2mm thick aluminium. I have played around with the first prototype for a while, and contrary to the other SFF case made with 1mm thick aluminium/steel, this does NOT bend easily. I can even say that with the first prototype, I pulled very hard on the cover a few time and it is still, as of this day, looking as good as when it arrived.
But yes, I do understand the concern. In the same time, keep in mind we are trying to keep the costs down and the quality up. To make it very easy to remove, we used high end insert (hand screw, permanently attached to to the cover). Finally, its a small case so why not remove all the panels at once when you need to work with it?:p
 
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MassiveOverkill said:
This is one of the reasons why I won't settle for a Q-Pack2. It has to be a Micro Fly for me because of the separate side panels.
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We tried to put the ports on the front cover, but neither the design nor the location was satisfying. So we went for the side. (There are quite a few limitations that are not visible in the renderings you see but that are linked to the space needed for the port and the lack of free space behind the front cover).
That could still change before the final release, but we'll wait to find a better solution/ hear a great suggestion.
PS: There is no place to put it along the 5.24" bay (either on the front or the top) because of the length of the module.

For the black interior paint. This has been debated before. Are you guys willing to spend $5 more?
 
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