Prototype 8.5 liter sandwich case with extra wide GPU cupport (2.7 slots)

[CC Ricers]

I know your early MT4 prototype was a bit flexy because of how thin a few parts were. How are these parts feeling strength/flex wise? Do you feel you are at a good spot now, or do you think an optimal thickness would be slightly more/less?

Is it too much for me to ask what kind of infill settings you are using?

These parts are much better in terms of strength, especially for longer proportions. The MT4 prototype had walls as thin as 3mm- with this case, 6mm is the minimum. So it's in a much better spot. Not too much to ask about the infill, it was set to 20% for all the parts.

The only flexing I've seen is slight, but only when the case is positioned horizontally. There's a bit of GPU sag in the front, but also keep in mind that there is nothing at this moment holding up the flexible riser cable on the GPU side. If it were screwed down someplace and not suspended in air, that would stop the GPU sag.

This case is optimal in sturdiness in a vertical position, like the Velka 5. No flexing whatsoever here. It's the position I currently have the case set up with.

In the vertical position, the GPU also easily exhausts hot air out of the top.

EDIT: I have only tried horizontal GPU installation without the motherboard side attached. Who knows, maybe as a complete build it is rigid enough in horizontal mode to keep the GPU straight

 

[CC Ricers]

Finally took some pictures of a mock build with the case here are some of the better ones (it's a cloudy day but did the best I could).

Note that between the ends of the mobo tray, in an actual build here only the riser cable lies between the GPU and motherboard.

On the motherboard side, the Flex ATX power supply would go in the empty space at the front.

 

[smitty2k1]

Looks great, and cloudy days are usually better for product shots because you get more consistent lighting without the harsh shadows

 

[CC Ricers]

Thanks, and I will want to take more picture of the case itself.

Someone has expressed interest in buying a case (in prototype form and all) so I might have my first customer there. They'll be using better parts than what I have so I think it would be a good build to show off the case!

 

[CC Ricers]

Want to see if there's still a decent market appeal for cases like this, because even though crowdfunding exists, I do not want to put my eggs in that basket when I don't have a good read on the demand for this product.

Not sure if I'm not just posting updates at the right times, since I haven't seen much discussion around this case from others. I think the parts compatibility would be good enough for many SFF aficionados. So if there are any qualities lacking that you might want that would make you interested in the case, what would they be?
SFX power supply compatibility? Better price? Higher-strength plastic? Maybe have more acrylic or metal?

 

[Limetka]

Hi! would definetly consider this concept if the sfx psu would be usable, material looks solid and clean and with adequate price I'm sure you can stand out. Cheers

 

[rasmarox]

I was wondering how much would the 3D printing of this case cost. Recently, I've requested price offer for printing a 5L case in the 3D print shop. I got the .stl files from the internet :-). In the shop they told me that only printing the outer shell would cost around 100 €.

 

[CC Ricers]

Hi! would definetly consider this concept if the sfx psu would be usable, material looks solid and clean and with adequate price I'm sure you can stand out. Cheers

Adding support for SFX PSUs is definitely something I'd like to do later on. That would increase the length of the case to over 300mm, including walls, so the biggest obstacle is finding a printer that can print parts that large. That makes it more difficult to find a printing shop but it is not impossible.

For now the material is good enough for a prototype, but I aim for better quality ABS plastic and smoother texture for the product to be sold. The case is lightweight but very sturdy, especially with all the parts installed.

I consider users of Geeek cases to be part of the user group I'm aiming for, since they sell more affordable cases. But there have been issues from customers about the build quality when assembled and ease of use of building in their cases. I feel that my case, while still being plastic, is designed to be more portable and carried around with more confidence than Geeek's.

Right now the Flex ATX layout is similar to that of the ZS-A4S case, and the Geeek A35 which I see is sold in some limited markets. This case supports longer cards than the A35.

I was wondering how much would the 3D printing of this case cost. Recently, I've requested price offer for printing a 5L case in the 3D print shop. I got the .stl files from the internet :-). In the shop they told me that only printing the outer shell would cost around 100 €.

The case shell cost me around $40 USD to print in HTPLA, shipping excluded. With better materials such as ABS it would be at least $10 more. Finding a shop that would print large single pieces has been hard for me in the past but I managed to find affordable ones within my budget!

I plan to sell the .stl files, along with designs for side panels, $8 will be the price point. The panels can be laser cut from many materials or also 3D printed.

 

[Nanook]

Your latest prototype caught my eye. Very nice design!
Following

 

[CC Ricers]

Your latest prototype caught my eye. Very nice design!
Following

Thanks! I plan to take more pictures of the case itself, when I can prepare a better lighting setup.

Going forward, I am thinking of biting the bullet and going for an all-metal version of this case. My basic conclusion is if it holds up well in plastic, it'll hold up well in aluminum.

I'm in the process of discussing the use of machining equipment with someone to create a milled aluminum version of the case. This requires a bit of re-design, in how the parts will be assembled. For metal, I will not go with a continuous bezel for reasons of cost, but will instead be four pieces attached firmly together to form the outer bezel.

There will also be fewer size restrictions going with metal and so will make a SFX version and fit GPUs 300mm long.

 

[NateDawg72]

@CC Ricers Why the change to milled metal? Do you plan to offer both plastic & metal variants, or just metal?

 

[CC Ricers]

@CC Ricers Why the change to milled metal? Do you plan to offer both plastic & metal variants, or just metal?

I plan to offer the cases in both metal or plastic, but metal still much later down the road.

I figure metal would add a lot more interest in potential users making suggestions for the case, and on supporting the builds in the case. As it is, it's not getting much traction for being offered suggestions. Being made out of 3D printed plastic may be the big elephant in the room.

 

[Nanook]

Thanks! I plan to take more pictures of the case itself, when I can prepare a better lighting setup.

Going forward, I am thinking of biting the bullet and going for an all-metal version of this case. My basic conclusion is if it holds up well in plastic, it'll hold up well in aluminum.

I'm in the process of discussing the use of machining equipment with someone to create a milled aluminum version of the case. This requires a bit of re-design, in how the parts will be assembled. For metal, I will not go with a continuous bezel for reasons of cost, but will instead be four pieces attached firmly together to form the outer bezel.

There will also be fewer size restrictions going with metal and so will make a SFX version and fit GPUs 300mm long.

If you go milled aluminum, things will be super expensive... like short run production expensive ($450 and up... )

 

[CC Ricers]

If you go milled aluminum, things will be super expensive... like short run production expensive ($450 and up... )

Gonna keep it in mind. I wouldn't want to CNC mill large parts as a continuous shell piece. Would have to split it into 4 sides to get costs down.

As I'm making final tweaks to the design, I have increased the length by 6mm so that cards up to 276mm would fit. This would give some slack for some slightly oversized cards that are not quite reference length (for example extra large cooler shroud).

 

[Windfall]

If you go milled aluminum, things will be super expensive... like short run production expensive ($450 and up... )

Most of that 450 would be operator and machine time, materials account for at most 150 dollars, and that's aiming high. I firmly believe this case can be made and sold way less than 450 dollars.

 

[CC Ricers]

I'm thinking about selling it in two tiers, for different price groups.

First tier is the cheaper option, plastic + metal. Plastic bezel with aluminum vented side panels.
Second tier is all metal, CNC aluminum shell.

In both tiers, clear side panels and other materials will also be an option.

 

[Poblopuablo]

I think a slightly larger CPU cooler height would be better. At 43mm a c7 can't be used, nor can a black ridge.

 

[Pallaf]

You can use the Noctua NH-L9a-AM4, which has 37mm height and max rated TDP of 95W more than enough to cool a 3600x/3700x

 

[CC Ricers]

I think a slightly larger CPU cooler height would be better. At 43mm a c7 can't be used, nor can a black ridge.

You can use the Noctua NH-L9a-AM4, which has 37mm height and max rated TDP of 95W more than enough to cool a 3600x/3700x

Actually this case should support coolers up to 48mm tall so a Black Ridge should fit. Did I mess up the specs in my last update? Yes, I did. I'm gonna correct that so it says 48mm.

 

[CC Ricers]

My Flex-ATX power supply arrived. I bought a Seasonic SSP300-SUB, and the 80+ bronze version has a silent fan mode in lower loads which the gold version lacks. I have not plugged it in to test components yet, but I have installed it in the case with no problems.

However the first test is finding the best way to route the cables inside of the case. This power supply has one detachable cable which splits into all of its connectors (EPS, 24 pin, SATA, etc). It is 150mm long like most Flex ATX power supplies, which leaves 38mm of room for cables in the front, and about 8mm of empty space on top and the sides. I'm guessing that the cables can be routed with enough effort, but they are still stiff. I have to see how builds inside the Velka 3 or those tiny Taobao cases accomplish it.

Surprisingly, the power supply stays up straight despite nothing to prop it below when the case is standing in vertical position. There's no bending of the case around the PSU which is always good. I used three screws to mount the power supply which are longer than typical power supply screws, to account for the thickness of the case walls.