Deng F15 build log

tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
2,338
This thread records the building of an ITX system based on a Deng F15 case. I am the builder but not the owner of this new system. My buddy is. As I ventured into the SFF territory late last year, I am quite convinced that SFF is my preferred format in the years to come. So, when my buddy told me he wishes to have a new system around next summer (2020), I took no time to talk him into building a SFF system. Of course, I volunteered to be the builder.

No component of this new system has been bought except the Deng F15 case. In due time, each component will be purchased and this thread will be continuously updated accordingly. In the mean time, the focus is the chassis. Case link is:-

A sample build/review is here:-
https://www.chiphell.com/thread-1955925-1-1.html

The 2 links above have provided much basic information about this case and I will not reproduce any data here.
I ordered this case about 2 months ago and received it this weekend. So, it took slightly under 8 weeks from ordering to actually receiving. As I reside in China, shipping cost is minimal (less than USD 5 for me). No complain.
Shipping is by SF Express, the standard and reliable carrier, which is similar to DHL.

This case is available in 2 versions:- air cooling and liquid cooling. Basically, the former comes with a transparent side panel (default is acrylic while a TG costs an additional ~ USD 10) while the latter has a vented aluminium side panel with a bracket, similar to a Ncase M1. I bought the air cooling version with semi transparent acrylic side panel. BTW, the acrylic panel can be either total transparent or semi transparent (ie greyish or smoked looking).

I will do an open box review of this case in the coming days (if and when I find time).

Ok. So much for now without actually opening the box.
Cheers!
 

tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
2,338

Today's focus is the packaging itself, showing in these 11 pics.

Pic 1: package measures 250mm wide x 400mm long x 350mm tall. This is the 'standard' packaging from the seller. If you order from overseas, I have heard that some agents would put this into a bigger box with foam bubbles in between for extra protection. But this is how I received the case.

Pics 2-3: opening the top reveals black foam with a cutout in the middle, which holds a black plastic box.

Pic 4: this plastic box contains most case accessories. I do not know how many are supposed to be there and so I will have to check later to see if anything is missing.

Pic 5: top protective foam is removed. The foam is a dense type, offering excellent shock absorbing capability. It is 30mm thick all around.

Pics 6-9: shows front, left, right and rear of the packaging

Pic 10: at the bottom of the box, sitting inside the bottom foam cutout, is a plastic bag. It contains the 4 feet and the internal power cable (connecting the front power button and the PSU)

Pic 11: note the 70mm gap between the top and bottom protective foam elements. This might be a weak spot where anything can penetrate through the cardboard paper box, resulting damage to the case.

So much for today. In the next couple days, I will physically examine the case and will report accordingly.
 
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duynguyenle

Airflow Optimizer
Aug 20, 2019
328
330
I had a quick look at the article you linked. There doesn't seem to be much room for mounting radiator. Is the watercooling version quite different (bigger?) to support mounting radiators?
 

tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
2,338
I had a quick look at the article you linked. There doesn't seem to be much room for mounting radiator. Is the watercooling version quite different (bigger?) to support mounting radiators?
It is exactly the size for both air cooling and water-cooling versions. For water-cooling version, the side panel is a vented panel and comes with a mounting bracket (positioned just like the Ncase M1).
Its spec says it supports 240mm rad.

Let me link you to some users' pics:-





 

AP2

Airflow Optimizer
Feb 1, 2017
291
325
Looks good! I purchased one a few weeks back, but the seller hasn’t shipped it yet.
 

tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
2,338
Looks good! I purchased one a few weeks back, but the seller hasn’t shipped it yet.
I waited mine for about 8 weeks. I think, this seller's production is on a 2-month cycle. I am not sure if we are on the same cycle. We can compare our F15 when yours arrives.

Many sellers in Taobao would make changes/improvements to the case in each batch/production run.
If you look at the build log in the link in my first post, and then compare that F15 (Dec 2018 ) with the F15 ( June 2019) shown in the following build log video link (https://www.bilibili.com/video/av56498910/), you will notice minute details changes.

Eg, my F15 (August 2019) has the same hole pattern on the top, right side, rear and bottom panels. This differs from the two F15s in the above 2 links.

I do not have time to do a proper review as I have some urgent matters to deal with.

So far, I can say, the material quality and workmanship are both very good. CNC Aluminum is really something beautiful. And, there is one weakness (so far) of this case, ie its lack of a list of parts (so, I am not sure if I have all the screws...etc) telling me which screw is for what.
 

tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
2,338
SuperBuy cancelled my order cause that seller would not respond to them.
That is a bummer!

As I mentioned above, there is no 'assembly manual' included with the case. So, I have taken some time to figure out how to use the supplied box of screws and nuts. To my aid, I have checked other users' pic to see how they used the screws/nuts. And to my slight surprise, it seems there is no overall consensus. ''As long as it works, then it is OK'' might be the rule of thumb. Perhaps one complication (as I have also mentioned above) is that the seller has been making slight modifications/improvements continuously with each batch/iteration.

To illustrate my observation, take a look at the 3 pics below. You will see that there are various working solution to fix the power plug as well as the rear fan to the back panel. Each solution works. So, it is up to me to choose which way to go.

See the pics below of my F15.
1. I have fixed the rear power plug now. See the pic below. As there is not an abundance of screws and nuts that I can use very liberally, I have to be careful how to use them.
2. Power button is now on the front panel. This location is different from what is shown in the product page in Taobao. It was on the top panel. So, this is another illustration that each batch is going to be slightly different from the previous ones.
3. Now all vent hole pattern is unified on all panels (top, bottom, rear and right side panel). I prefer this as this gives a more harmonious appearance.

As for the next step, I will install two Noctua 14cm fans to the bottom. I have already noticed that if I use 14cm fans, their frame will have physical conflict with the screws for attaching the 4 bottom feet. If I use 12cm fans, then it is OK. But as I want to use 14 cm fans, I will have to figure out how to solve this issue.
 

tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
2,338
My mood was not too good over the weekend and so I decided to install fans into the Deng F15 to cheer myself up.

Pic 1: shows the main case fans. The 2 bottom fans are Noctua NF-A14 140mm fans. These 2 fans will be the chief fans to intake air into the case. The rear exhaust fan is Noctua NF-A9. The case should be a high positive air pressure setup. The 2 bottom fans will not only supply fresh ambient air to the display card but also to the CPU HSF (which could be the Thermalright Silver Arrow 130).

With the two 140mm fans installed, there is still some space around them, making fan cables routing much easier and more pretty.

If more ventilation is needed, one 92mm or 120mm fan will be installed to the right side panel. I do not think this is needed but such a backup plan is there.

Pic 2: the rear fan mounting screws, which are flushed into the side panel thickness.

Pic 3: thickness of the side/bottom/top/front panels is advertised as 5mm and I can confirm this with a caliper.

Pic 4: thickness of the structural frame is advertised as 6mm. I measured it to be 6.19mm.

5 - 6 mm aluminum gives a very solid construction and feels indestructible. It is heavy too. I imagine it will be more heavy when the build is completed. Fortunately, this system will not be moved around much.

I plan to pick up a PSU around Christmas or Chinese New Year when there is big sales.
Until then, I will update this build log whenever I have some other component to feed into the case.

 

AP2

Airflow Optimizer
Feb 1, 2017
291
325
Loving the case. Wish I was able to get my hands on one. Look forward to seeing more pics of the build.
 

renecop545

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jan 2, 2018
102
79
My mood was not too good over the weekend and so I decided to install fans into the Deng F15 to cheer myself up.

Pic 1: shows the main case fans. The 2 bottom fans are Noctua NF-A14 140mm fans. These 2 fans will be the chief fans to intake air into the case. The rear exhaust fan is Noctua NF-A9. The case should be a high positive air pressure setup. The 2 bottom fans will not only supply fresh ambient air to the display card but also to the CPU HSF (which could be the Thermalright Silver Arrow 130).

With the two 140mm fans installed, there is still some space around them, making fan cables routing much easier and more pretty.

If more ventilation is needed, one 92mm or 120mm fan will be installed to the right side panel. I do not think this is needed but such a backup plan is there.

Pic 2: the rear fan mounting screws, which are flushed into the side panel thickness.

Pic 3: thickness of the side/bottom/top/front panels is advertised as 5mm and I can confirm this with a caliper.

Pic 4: thickness of the structural frame is advertised as 6mm. I measured it to be 6.19mm.

5 - 6 mm aluminum gives a very solid construction and feels indestructible. It is heavy too. I imagine it will be more heavy when the build is completed. Fortunately, this system will not be moved around much.

I plan to pick up a PSU around Christmas or Chinese New Year when there is big sales.
Until then, I will update this build log whenever I have some other component to feed into the case.

Goddam that's even thicker than the ghost, premium quality right here
 

AP2

Airflow Optimizer
Feb 1, 2017
291
325
Mine came out to 266 before actually shipping to the US. Unfortunately mine was cancel due to the sellers lack of response.
 

tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
2,338
Mine came out to 266 before actually shipping to the US. Unfortunately mine was cancel due to the sellers lack of response.
IIRC, your order was a watercooling version. That is RMB 1599 (=USD 225). So, that is USD 41 for international postage plus agent fee. Not too bad.

Counting the buyer feedbacks, I estimate there are, at least, 10 buyers (including me) of this batch. I wonder why the seller did not respond.
 
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tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
2,338
Having a little spare time, I took off the top panel to look more closely at the power button and the PSU holding bracket.

The power button is of a type from a mechanical keyboard (pic 1). It is a 'Cherry MX blue' type, with a clicky bump. I like this for a case power button. But I prefer a brown type for my keyboard.

The PSU holding bracket will hold a PSU and likely one 2.5'' SATAIII SSD too. So, there are plenty of space here (pic 2) The main drive will be, of course, a M.2 SSD on top of mainboard. But I am still debating if the 2nd SSD be a M.2 on the back of the motherboard or a 2.5'' SSD on the bracket. Saving some money + better cooling + bigger storage size of a 2.5'' SATAIII SSD might outweighs having- 2-fewer-cables advantage for a M.2 SSD solution.

Pic 3 shows the top down view. Two 140mm intake fans at the bottom. One 92mm exhaust fan at the rear.

 
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Cabrithese

Case Bender
Oct 5, 2019
2
0
Im planning to buy this case within this week. Have managed to navigate through Taobao and contacted the seller directly through the app. He(she) speaks English well and we are approaching to the postage arrangement.

The case and potage to UK is £250. I'm worried about tax and import duty but for the quality that seems like a fair price

The only draw back in my opinion is the vent cutout for my batch. The top panel has square holes. (I can't attach image for some reasons). And I hate square. I asked if they can make a custom panel but it can be quite a hassle. I find the f12 cutouts and power button placement are perfect but it's abit too small for my specific purpose.

Also, the next batch (actually the current one) was said to increase in size (width and height). From 332×183×267 to 332mm×198mm×307mm, which is a shame in my opinion.

Do you guys think it worthwhile?
 

tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Original poster
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
2,338
So, 250 quid does not include the tax and import duty? The final total will be quite a lot.
Even the watercooling option costs 1599 RMB only, which is about 181 quid.
Anyway...

If you are planning an air-cooling-only build, then the extra width (15mm) will allow a Noctua NH-U12A to live inside.
Mine allows 150mm max tall cooler only.
What kind of benefits for the increase of height, I wonder? Perhaps, to allow a thick radiator+fans at bottom or top? And, to allow dual 80mm rear fans (vs current's single 92mm fan)?

Regarding the aesthetic, it is highly subjective. So, is it this one?
 
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