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The Final Update
If I counted on my fingers how many times I said to myself in the past few months that the design for this case was done, I think I would run out of fingers.
But I think I can now say that it’s finally done.
Meet the new Breathe.
Quite a few changes have been made to the case since my last update.
Modularity
First off, and probably the most significant change, is that the case is now modular.
Meaning that all parts of the case, most notably the exterior paneling, can be exchanged and/or replaced.
Originally, I had planned for much of the case’s frame to consist of a unibody U-shaped structure formed by the top panel and side faces. All the other parts of the case (with the exception of the side panels) would then be riveted to this structure to form one rigid, permanent frame.
While this gave the case a lot of strength, it posed quite a few problems.
The cutout for the I/O shield was way too close to the bend next to it, meaning it would pretty much be impossible to do without rather ugly accommodations (see the notched bend of the I/O cutout).
Furthermore, the long flanges formed by the side faces of the unibody proved to be problematic to form on a press brake without special tooling. If one were to try to bend the unibody on a press brake without such special tooling, they would find that while trying to bend the second side, the side bent prior would collide with the top jaw of the press brake before the bend can be completed (see gif). Thus, the special tooling that’s needed to do bends like these is called a window bender (or something like that), which is something not every sheet metal fabricator has.
Simplification of a press brake, but I hope you get the idea
Well, those rivets are gone. Gone is the unibody frame. Panels, countersunk screws, and PEMserts are in.
Breaking up the case into separate panels solved the press brake problem. It also solved the I/O shield cutout problem. The case becomes more simple in the sense that forming it is easier and there is less uniqueness among the parts (which is a good thing for cost and manufacturing). The side panels are identical to each other, as they were before, but now the slimmer side faces are also identical to each other.
Thus, customization of paneling with different vent patterns for the case becomes much more viable. Hence, modularity.
I also chose to change the material of the case to 1.5mm steel in order to accommodate for any strength reduction from this modular change. The case is a little heavier as a result, but this now also means that magnetic dust filters can be made and used in the case, and the case will hold up to wear and tear much better.
Making all the exterior panels of the case removable will allow for much more ease and flexibility when building in the case as well.
Hopefully, with this modular change, the case will not have “versions”, rather just updates of individual parts, eliminating the need to buy a whole new case if I ever have to make changes to the design.
Height
I also extended the case walls upwards a bit, not in an attempt to conceal the cables at the top, but to protect the protrusion of the PCI-E flange when in transport. I wouldn’t want things catching on it or it potentially getting bent.
Resulting from this change, the case gets a little bit of an aesthetic clean-up as well. It allowed me to get rid of the side panel overhang gap that existed on the edges of the old design (which always bothered me). The PCI-E flange is obviously also no longer visible when looking at the case in profile and thus doesn’t break its silhouette.
See the overhang gap of the side panels here ^
No overhang gap
and no PCI-E flange protrusion!
Overall, much cleaner lines. Much more monolithic.
Consequently, the case becomes a little bit bigger in volume from this change, but it’s nothing major (6.9L). Technically, I don’t think it occupies any more space than it did before.
PSU Shift
I moved the PSU to the right a bit, since the space on the right was largely unused.
Old on left, new on right
The transfer of that unused space to the left side of the PSU now makes it usable for:
Drive Mounting
I was never satisfied with my old 2.5” drive mounting solution. I got rid of it entirely and added an actual drive bracket. This helped solve a lot of headaches I had with the spacing of the SATA power connectors for those drives. I can confidently say that with this change, there will be no problems whatsoever with the spacing of the repositionable inline SATA power connectors on the cables included with the Corsair SF450/600 units. The SATA power run to these drives can now be achieved with a small, short, and neat cable.
The bracket is also removable in case it’s not needed.
I think the mounting points for it can also be used for a bracket to hold a 92mm radiator + fan as well, but I haven’t bothered to model it.
I also redid the whole extra drives thing in the rear compartment. I changed the spacing and location of the 2.5” mounting points. I also dropped support for three 3.5” drives and reduced it down to just one drive. Their location takes advantage of the aforementioned space on the left side of the PSU for neat cable management.
Cable Management
I feel like cable management gets neglected in a lot of SFF cases. Being a cable management obsessor myself, I wanted to allow for more possibility for creative cable runs in this case, so I added some cutouts into the motherboard tray. Cables can be run underneath and out behind the motherboard as well as through the motherboard tray for whatever hardware situation is going on in the rear compartment.
Vent Pattern
Less major, but still worthy of noting, is that I changed the vent pattern to 7mm wide slots instead of the old 6mm slots. I think their increased length complements the new height and proportions of the case very well. This change also allowed me to reduce the total number of cutouts needed to form the vent pattern by more than a hundred (from 334 to 232, a 30.5% reduction). Same great ventilation, a lot less cost.
Colors
Since the case will now be made out of steel, anodization isn’t an option. Instead, the case will be powder coated, so a wide variety of colors and textures can now be done.
- - -
Have some new size comparisons.
I think that’s all. I’ll have the first prototype madein the next two weeks or so. Then I’ll have more than just renders to show you guys.
Hopefully this update helped satisfy some of the suggestions made in this thread. I am listening guys!
**EDIT: I know I said two weeks, but I forgot that I was going to be out of the country this upcoming week; so it'll probably be three weeks before the case is made.
If I counted on my fingers how many times I said to myself in the past few months that the design for this case was done, I think I would run out of fingers.
But I think I can now say that it’s finally done.
Meet the new Breathe.
Quite a few changes have been made to the case since my last update.
Modularity
First off, and probably the most significant change, is that the case is now modular.
Meaning that all parts of the case, most notably the exterior paneling, can be exchanged and/or replaced.
Originally, I had planned for much of the case’s frame to consist of a unibody U-shaped structure formed by the top panel and side faces. All the other parts of the case (with the exception of the side panels) would then be riveted to this structure to form one rigid, permanent frame.
While this gave the case a lot of strength, it posed quite a few problems.
The cutout for the I/O shield was way too close to the bend next to it, meaning it would pretty much be impossible to do without rather ugly accommodations (see the notched bend of the I/O cutout).
Furthermore, the long flanges formed by the side faces of the unibody proved to be problematic to form on a press brake without special tooling. If one were to try to bend the unibody on a press brake without such special tooling, they would find that while trying to bend the second side, the side bent prior would collide with the top jaw of the press brake before the bend can be completed (see gif). Thus, the special tooling that’s needed to do bends like these is called a window bender (or something like that), which is something not every sheet metal fabricator has.
Simplification of a press brake, but I hope you get the idea
Well, those rivets are gone. Gone is the unibody frame. Panels, countersunk screws, and PEMserts are in.
Breaking up the case into separate panels solved the press brake problem. It also solved the I/O shield cutout problem. The case becomes more simple in the sense that forming it is easier and there is less uniqueness among the parts (which is a good thing for cost and manufacturing). The side panels are identical to each other, as they were before, but now the slimmer side faces are also identical to each other.
Thus, customization of paneling with different vent patterns for the case becomes much more viable. Hence, modularity.
I also chose to change the material of the case to 1.5mm steel in order to accommodate for any strength reduction from this modular change. The case is a little heavier as a result, but this now also means that magnetic dust filters can be made and used in the case, and the case will hold up to wear and tear much better.
Making all the exterior panels of the case removable will allow for much more ease and flexibility when building in the case as well.
Hopefully, with this modular change, the case will not have “versions”, rather just updates of individual parts, eliminating the need to buy a whole new case if I ever have to make changes to the design.
Height
I also extended the case walls upwards a bit, not in an attempt to conceal the cables at the top, but to protect the protrusion of the PCI-E flange when in transport. I wouldn’t want things catching on it or it potentially getting bent.
Resulting from this change, the case gets a little bit of an aesthetic clean-up as well. It allowed me to get rid of the side panel overhang gap that existed on the edges of the old design (which always bothered me). The PCI-E flange is obviously also no longer visible when looking at the case in profile and thus doesn’t break its silhouette.
See the overhang gap of the side panels here ^
No overhang gap
and no PCI-E flange protrusion!Overall, much cleaner lines. Much more monolithic.
Consequently, the case becomes a little bit bigger in volume from this change, but it’s nothing major (6.9L). Technically, I don’t think it occupies any more space than it did before.
PSU Shift
I moved the PSU to the right a bit, since the space on the right was largely unused.
Old on left, new on right
The transfer of that unused space to the left side of the PSU now makes it usable for:
- Routing PCI-E power cables to very long and very tall graphics cards with non-recessed power connectors, like the EVGA 1080 Ti FTW3. (I doubt the FTW3 would have been usable in this case prior to this change.)
- Routing cables to the alternative/extra drives mounted to the bottom tray.
- Sticking an SSD there.
Drive Mounting
I was never satisfied with my old 2.5” drive mounting solution. I got rid of it entirely and added an actual drive bracket. This helped solve a lot of headaches I had with the spacing of the SATA power connectors for those drives. I can confidently say that with this change, there will be no problems whatsoever with the spacing of the repositionable inline SATA power connectors on the cables included with the Corsair SF450/600 units. The SATA power run to these drives can now be achieved with a small, short, and neat cable.
The bracket is also removable in case it’s not needed.
I also redid the whole extra drives thing in the rear compartment. I changed the spacing and location of the 2.5” mounting points. I also dropped support for three 3.5” drives and reduced it down to just one drive. Their location takes advantage of the aforementioned space on the left side of the PSU for neat cable management.
Cable Management
I feel like cable management gets neglected in a lot of SFF cases. Being a cable management obsessor myself, I wanted to allow for more possibility for creative cable runs in this case, so I added some cutouts into the motherboard tray. Cables can be run underneath and out behind the motherboard as well as through the motherboard tray for whatever hardware situation is going on in the rear compartment.
Vent Pattern
Less major, but still worthy of noting, is that I changed the vent pattern to 7mm wide slots instead of the old 6mm slots. I think their increased length complements the new height and proportions of the case very well. This change also allowed me to reduce the total number of cutouts needed to form the vent pattern by more than a hundred (from 334 to 232, a 30.5% reduction). Same great ventilation, a lot less cost.
Colors
Since the case will now be made out of steel, anodization isn’t an option. Instead, the case will be powder coated, so a wide variety of colors and textures can now be done.
- - -
Have some new size comparisons.
I think that’s all. I’ll have the first prototype made
Hopefully this update helped satisfy some of the suggestions made in this thread. I am listening guys!
**EDIT: I know I said two weeks, but I forgot that I was going to be out of the country this upcoming week; so it'll probably be three weeks before the case is made.
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Very nice looking chassis, but the exposed cables at the top totally ruin it for me...
Thanks.
Already well understood. It's a necessary evil for the sake of accessibility to all the I/O, which I value more than cable concealment. Thus, having all I/O at the top is just what makes the most sense to me.
Just different tastes for different people. The cables at the top won't bother me too much.
If I were to hide the cables at the top, it would require me to extend the height of the case about an additional 40mm, which turns into unneeded bulk when in transport. I'm pretty sure the case would look like a comical skyscraper at that height too.
Just try to think of this in an entirely utilitarian perspective. That's how I think.
The aesthetics of this case are indeed a priority to me, but a priority second only to the actual usability and function of the case.
Personally I don't think I'd mind the cables much. If it's a super big bother then you can always go wireless too, as far as I'm aware.
- Jul 19, 2015
- 818
- 1,359
Love this case, maybe even more than mt ftz03-mini, great work
Woo wee, hey guys. I'm not dead. Sorry about the long delay.
I've got a 69 pound box en route to my door.
That's right. I've got cases.
Expect some pictures in the next few days.
I've got a 69 pound box en route to my door.
That's right. I've got cases.
Expect some pictures in the next few days.
Aww, yay! This is so exciting. I fell in love yet again reading your update back on August. Your design has come a long way and it shows - it's still mind blowing to see how much the design changed back from the early prototype days, to what it is today, and honestly, what's not to love? I feel like every change or tweak committed has been rightfully so and a step into the right direction... That is, from my little understanding. Anyhow, I'm so happy to see where the project stands as of now and can barely wait (seriously) to see your masterpiece come to life!
Mind if I ask what's the plan going on forward? A 69 pounds package full of cases sounds crazy!
While I'm at it, I'd like to ask you a question. I'm truly sorry if you mentioned this before and I missed it, but hopefully you don't mind me asking again - what's your stand on front i/o? Sorry for my ignorance, but do you think there's enough space to place one of these right next to the pcie cut out or somewhere on the top frame? And how about fitting a slim drive slot while sacrificing space for a couple of SSDs?
Hi Nocturnize; thanks so much. Really happy to hear from you again. I honestly thought I lost you during my hiatus.
The immediate plan is to receive the cases tomorrow, review them, get some nice pictures done - glamour shots, build pics, etc. and finish the video that I've been making of this whole experience. Then of course to sell the 10 cases in this batch. I've partnered up with @yawacool to offer his Li-Heat risers with my cases. Not sure if I'll be able to offer the risers immediately with this batch since I have to wait for the riser samples to arrive and verify their compatibility with the current design of the motherboard tray, but who knows; if they fit, I might be able to get an order in to him in time, as I am still waiting on other parts like the power buttons and some screws to arrive.
I might design another case in the future, idunno. Feels like every conceivable configuration and orientation of parts has already been done. But if I do get another idea I can't resist having set in steel and put in my hands, then I won't rest.
Front I/O won't be a thing on this case. There isn't enough room to fit that I/O module into the top panel.
There's no doubt in my mind that you could fit a slim slot-loading optical drive in the bottom of the rear compartment if you use it in conjunction with a short graphics card, it's just the design accommodations to accept that optical drive into the case are kind of overwhelming. I'd have to include a separate bracket to hold the optical drive and also have unique side panels made with the slot for the disc to slide in. It's possible, yes; just not feasible.
You'll see my build very soon, don't worry!
I've been looking for a case like this, might have to make my own "hat" per say to hide the cables and route them downwards like what the new shift case does.
Is there a wait list or pre-orders? I'm super down for an order haha.
Is there a wait list or pre-orders? I'm super down for an order haha.
Thank you for your interest. There will be no wait list or pre-orders, for this batch at least.
I want to be able to prove my case through my pictures and video first, before anyone can place orders. I just feel like that's the right and ethical thing to do.
Orders for this batch will be on a standard first come, first serve basis. The case (with no PCI-E riser) will be $150 plus shipping for people who want to buy their own riser or already have a compatible riser on hand. The price will likely be some amount higher if you want a Li-Heat riser included; I haven't sorted out what that price should be yet. I will still remain true to the promise I made 8 months ago though:
Cases came in today and oh man, the guys at Sliger did an absolutely incredible job. Super impressed. It's like a dream come true.
Tested fitment with my parts and can confirm the case 100% works with having computer hardware installed in it. Probably will make some minor adjustments in the next batch for even better component fit though.
I'm very happy. And excited.
Tested fitment with my parts and can confirm the case 100% works with having computer hardware installed in it. Probably will make some minor adjustments in the next batch for even better component fit though.
I'm very happy. And excited.
