@dondan Not sure if it's still something you are concerned about, but regarding your comments/worries concerning the interest level in the case I have some thoughts you may want to consider:
1. The nature of long design phases likely misrepresents the level of interest and leads to people checking in less frequently, despite their interest. For people who aren't a constant presence on the forums but have been familiar with the sff market for a bit, I expect many check in sporadically to see if it's imminent and what the current iteration looks like, then move along and might not check back for months. I don't mean to negatively comment on the duration of the design phase, in fact I believe the meticulous nature and constant revisions plays a large part in the quality of the eventual releases for these boutique cases.
I think a lot of people tend to frequent the site and various threads when they are planning a new build or making an upgrade. Their activity on the site, whether or not they post, starts to diminish and become very infrequent until the next time they are thinking about altering their set up. For example, when I saw your comment with a link to the interest level poll and clicked it, the poll no longer existed. So my interest in the case, despite it being on my shortlist of options for an eventual ryzen4000 + rtx3000/rx6000 build is not represented. I suspect I am not unique in that regard.
2. With all due respect to the extremely helpful community, I don't think it is representative of the broad marketability your case will have. It seems to me that the majority of larger computer focused youtubers have something on their channel about the a4. It inspired countless other designs with... varying levels of innovation. Whatever you end up releasing, as the next Dan case it will surely be given it's time in the spotlight on many channels, reaching a much larger audience than the relatively small sff enthusiast community. When a youtuber is deciding what to make a video on; a case from "xyz manufacturing" who no one has heard of, or the next Dan case which had great viewership metrics for their last release, the choice is pretty easy. There are many great case designers here, and I don't wish to ruffle any feathers, but I think it's safe to say that the Dan case and Ncase brands have significantly more brand recognition into the larger PC market than others. It will serve both of you well if/when you release a new case.
Additionally, when the a4 came out a lot of non-sff enthusiasts who stumbled across it thought it was really cool, but didn't seriously consider it because of the cooling limitations. Whenever the C4 releases, a decent portion of those people will probably come to the conclusion that this one has enough cooling potential for them. Whether it supports 240 or 280 rads, it will offer significantly more cooling potential and capture more of the casual market than the a4 did. IMO anyway...
Regarding the feedback you receive on design choices, it's good that you take it into consideration, but don't stumble on it TOO much. Regardless of which direction(s) you go you will lose some people's interest and gain others'.
I will however echo the sentiment that I think 3 slot gpu support is a significant design consideration beyond individual tastes. Everything points to the next wave of gpus being extremely power hungry. As people tend to buy cases when doing a new build or upgrading, I think the decision on whether or not to support 3 slot gpus has a far greater impact on the c4's marketability than whether it support 240mm or 280mm rads. Most people aren't doing custom loops, so accommodating increased gpu cooling for what looks to be a massive increase in mainstream gpu power draw seems to be a vastly more significant factor than the choice between "excellent" and "really excellent" cpu cooling, since it will affect the broader market's use case more.
For my less broadly applicable feedback, I like having the TG option, and preferred the small circular ventilation on the top panel to the long slits. I do prefer the aesthetics of all the c4 variations to the a4
.
Whatever direction you choose, good luck!
smallformfactor.net
