Production Lazer3D HT5 - Low Profile APU Case

[K888D]

Thanks for the detailed write-up @mrp0p1nfr3sh , the production case will come with a nice instruction manual that should hopefully take away the initial fright of being presented with a bunch of panels and fixings! Thanks to @owliwar with the help on this, we should be able to show the results very soon.

A few minor improvements have been made to the fitments and tolerances since this prototype case, along with a little bit of extra width added to the case for increased PSU compatibility.

Production of the HT5 has been started, although it is going slower than originally anticipated due to the higher than anticipated demand for the LZ7 over the last few months.

 

[zzmadd]

When will you have a configuration page running on your web site so to learn the specs and prices?
Thanks

 

[K888D]

When will you have a configuration page running on your web site so to learn the specs and prices?
Thanks

Possibly in a couple of weeks time, I need to set aside some time to take some proper photos of the each case and gather all the information.

But as for prices, they will be as follows:

• HT5 Stealth (All Black) = £75
• HT5 Timber (White + Oak) = £79
• HT5 Graphite (Grey + Metallic) = £79
• HT5 Bourbon (Black + Walnut) = £83

(price = GBP, ex VAT, ex Shipping)

If you live inside the EU then 20% VAT applies on top of the prices quoted above (£85, £90, £90, £95 respectively).

 

[zzmadd]

Thanks for the reply.
look forward to seeing it live.

 

[K888D]

Thanks for the reply.
look forward to seeing it live.

Shipping prices vary allot, but some general example prices are around £20 for most countries in the EU, around £25 for the US and around £30 for China/Japan/Singapore/Taiwan/Australia/etc.

 

[el01]

APUs are set to make a big comeback in 2018 with AMD's Ryzen/Vega based AM4 chips leading the way. Powerful processing and graphics on a single chip with the latest connectivity will make them a great choice for low cost gaming PC's or advanced Home Theatre PC's.

Introducing the HT5, a compact Home Theatre PC style case focusing on high performance APU cooling. The 5 litre chassis can accommodate a CPU cooler up to 72mm in height and up to four 80x25mm fans.

The above photo is a first draft prototype, there are some refinements needed, such as flat headed screws for a more flush look. I'm also looking for ways to include Full IO support (USB + Audio), but may have to settle for vandal switch only. Is front USB/Audio needed on a HTPC? Feedback appreciated!

Some quick points which I will try and expand on over the next few days:

• Solid wood screwless front panel
• Windowed or solid top panel
• Frosted accents for those with an RGB fetish
• Compartmental design with concealed cable management areas
• DC-DC internal power supply
• Versatile modular design
• £80 (ex VAT) target price point

Lazer3D cases are not trying to be the smallest, but instead look to provide a sensible compromise between size, acoustic and thermal performance, the HT5 aims to continue this approach. For example the case features 5mm clearance between the case fans and side vents to eliminate turbulence noise, a feature which adds volume but reduces noise.

EDIT:
A view of the case stood up as a mini tower style desktop case:

The details are still being worked out, so please ignore the venting pattern on the top window panel, they've been added in for testing just for the time being. The top panel could alternatively be a matte colour, dark tinted, wood, or frosted.

I'm hoping to also have a selection of different woods types to pick from for the front panel, or if preferred the front could be a standard matte black, white or grey.

Here is a view of the rear of the case which gives you an idea of the layout:

Its a pretty standard layout with the ITX board sitting in the middle and space for 2x 80mm fans on each side of the motherboard and 2.5" HDD's along the front edge of the case. The idea is the 4x 80mm work together in combination with the CPU cooler to either push or pull air through the top vent (depending on your CPU cooler), what should end up happening is a hell of a lot of air passing through the CPU heatsink with minimal fan effort, leading to a cool and quiet system.

I've not got any pictures of the internals yet other than what you can make out through the top window panel. You may be able to see that there is a Noctua NH-L12S installed on the motherboard which I'm hoping to test out in this case soon. With 72mm CPU cooler clearance there is also possibly room for you to mount a 120mm AIO to the top panel (TBD).

You may also be able to see that there is a series of compartments surrounding the motherboard, the idea is to provide space for concealing and routing cables allowing you to build a really smart and neat looking systems. I'm hoping AMD will bundle the Stealth Wraith cooler with their upcoming APU's, the RGB ring would look great.

A secondary purpose of the compartments is to allow for different side or rear panels to be fitted that change the compatibility of the case. For example you could replace the fans on one side of the case with an AC-DC adapter, or opt for a HDPLEX DC-ATX board along the front edge of the case instead of 2.5" drives, or potentially even accommodate a low profile dedicated GPU.

Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions, your feedback is much appreciated!

It looks very beautiful and I appreciate the thought in design. Very nice and minimalist. The wood trim is pretty, but I LOVE the bamboo-style finish as well. I feel like you should design an ultra-compact edition for the Ryzen GE edition processors and a low-profile Noctua NH-L9i or the stock AMD cooler, which features smaller size but fewer fans (not needed for a low-power part).

Otherwise, it would be awesome to see Lazer3D release the SVG files used to cut so community members can revise and customize to their tastes. I personally want them for evaluation and some "dank" mods (FOR AIRFLOW!!!) If files are available, I could also figure out how to build an additional "hat" (like Loque) for the case to support liquid coolers, SFX power supplies, GPUs, and larger fans. Those "hats" could also be a good implementation as well for a future product. Also, making files available for purchase or for free could be beneficial for attracting customers from countries far from Europe, who would complain about the high shipping costs. (sorry for being overbearing and telling you how to run your business )

It is very well-designed in this phase, though. Well-done!

 

[mrp0p1nfr3sh]

Thanks for the detailed write-up @mrp0p1nfr3sh , the production case will come with a nice instruction manual that should hopefully take away the initial fright of being presented with a bunch of panels and fixings! Thanks to @owliwar with the help on this, we should be able to show the results very soon.

A few minor improvements have been made to the fitments and tolerances since this prototype case, along with a little bit of extra width added to the case for increased PSU compatibility.

Production of the HT5 has been started, although it is going slower than originally anticipated due to the higher than anticipated demand for the LZ7 over the last few months.

Thanks for the reply loved the build and am glad to hear the instruction manuals going to be there to help the future owners. I honestly love this thing so much its great for the price and my only request or recommendation is a model that can use the Corsair H5SF for liquid cooling. but realistically this things a beast and i love how small it is (only marginally larger than the alienware alpha it replaced)


https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Liquid-Cooling/Hydro-Series™-H5-SF-Low-Profile-Liquid-CPU-Cooler/p/CW-9060023-WW

 

[K888D]

I've not decided yet on the final design for the Graphite version of the case, the HT5 Graphite has grey main panels with a smoked top window and was originally going to have an all brushed metallic front, so it will look like this (with grey side panels):

​

I've since wondered what the front panel would look like by mixing the metallic with the plain grey, but before I go sticking a load of different panel options together I thought I would lay them out next to each and see what you guys think. Here are the mixed panels:

I'm thinking the bottom thinner strip may work best as metallic so the darker plain grey panel doesn't contrast as much against the smoked top panel which looks almost black.​

Now just to throw in a few curve balls, I wanted to see what an etched pattern could look like for this particular version of the case to give it a more urban grungy sort of look, this is what we came up with (thanks to @owliwar for the help with the graphics):​

Now we start to mix things up by combining the etched panels with the plain panels:

So many options I don't know what to think!

What do you guys think? What does and what doesn't work? I would love to hear your thoughts. The most popular options I will assemble into some full cases and take some photos.

 

[el01]

I've not decided yet on the final design for the Graphite version of the case, the HT5 Graphite has grey main panels with a smoked top window and was originally going to have an all brushed metallic front, so it will look like this (with grey side panels):

​

I've since wondered what the front panel would look like by mixing the metallic with the plain grey, but before I go sticking a load of different panel options together I thought I would lay them out next to each and see what you guys think. Here are the mixed panels:

I'm thinking the bottom thinner strip may work best as metallic so the darker plain grey panel doesn't contrast as much against the smoked top panel which looks almost black.​

Now just to throw in a few curve balls, I wanted to see what an etched pattern could look like for this particular version of the case to give it a more urban grungy sort of look, this is what we came up with (thanks to @owliwar for the help with the graphics):​

Now we start to mix things up by combining the etched panels with the plain panels:

So many options I don't know what to think!

What do you guys think? What does and what doesn't work? I would love to hear your thoughts. The most popular options I will assemble into some full cases and take some photos.

I like the shiny panel and the "pixelated" panel, but I think you should keep things consistent and have the same top and bottom "halves".
A fairly light "brushed" effect on the metallic panel would also look fairly good (just a small suggestion, I could totally do it myself)
The options you show here are really good though! Can't wait to see what modders might do (given infinite options!)
Thanks for delivering such an impressive case!
-el01

 

[CC Ricers]

I'm not quite sold on the etched panel, looking from a distance the front may appear to have a faux worn out look. It may be cool to add as a one-off option, though.

The two tone front can work in some instances, I think, especially if front I/O could ever be an option. Then you can have the I/O in the narrow dark part, looking subdued and not as prominent so as to not detract from the entire front side.

 

[mrp0p1nfr3sh]

I love the etched and the mixed etched with brushed metal pieces. It looks like some kinda cyberpunk system from our already dark timeline 10/10 would recommend and or buy. will you be selling replacement panels soon?

 

[smitty2k1]

I think of this as an HTPC case and so I prefer the cleaner panels that would fit in more with other home theater equipment.

 

[ebc92]

​

So many options I don't know what to think!

What do you guys think? What does and what doesn't work? I would love to hear your thoughts. The most popular options I will assemble into some full cases and take some photos.

The bottom combination in the above picture is my favorite. I also like the same one with that has the etched pattern on the silver piece.

 

[confusis]

Woah those panels are AMAZING

 

[K888D]

Thank you everyone for the feedback.

I'm not quite sold on the etched panel, looking from a distance the front may appear to have a faux worn out look. It may be cool to add as a one-off option, though.

I know what you mean, opinion will be divided about the etching and so it may not be a good idea to offer this as the standard graphite design.

This was just an experiment and I would like to try other designs, I may open it up to you guys to submit your front panel designs in some kind of competition to win a custom case perhaps?

The two tone front can work in some instances, I think, especially if front I/O could ever be an option. Then you can have the I/O in the narrow dark part, looking subdued and not as prominent so as to not detract from the entire front side.

Front IO would be great and may be something I look to add in the future, but it is not being worked on at the moment.

I love the etched and the mixed etched with brushed metal pieces. It looks like some kinda cyberpunk system from our already dark timeline 10/10 would recommend and or buy. will you be selling replacement panels soon?

Thank you, it is a possibility yes to sell the front panels separately. It could be done under some kind of configurator where you can pick and choose the materials of the top and bottom section and then choose an etching overlay. I will have to give it some thought once the case launches.

I think of this as an HTPC case and so I prefer the cleaner panels that would fit in more with other home theater equipment.

Very good point, thank you. Yes I think opinion will be divided, but hopefully with the 4 case models that will be on offer there should be enough choice to satisfy most people's preferences.

The bottom combination in the above picture is my favorite. I also like the same one with that has the etched pattern on the silver piece.

The thin silver strip along the bottom with the grey at top was originally what I had in mind after thinking the "all metallic" front was a bit too much. I think I will pick this combination as one of the options to build up into a full case to see how they compare.

Woah those panels are AMAZING

Thanks! Which is your favourite?

Also @confusis the poll on this thread is stuck at the top, I can't seem to find the option to remove it since you disabled polls on the forum, is there anything that can be done to remove it?

 

[confusis]

@K888D the pixellated ones!

Regarding the poll, just ask a friendly mod and we can take care of things. I've removed the poll on this thread

 

[Silly Cone]

Where can one find the data of this case? Size & weight

 

[K888D]

Where can one find the data of this case? Size & weight

The latest dimensions are (W) 265mm x (D) 210mm x (H) 96mm, for a total volume of 5.3L.

I've not weighed the case yet, but I estimate it is around 1.5Kg.

I will be posting a more detailed specifications over the next few weeks.

 

[mrp0p1nfr3sh]

Where can one find the data of this case? Size & weight

The weight of the parts will be more than the case.

 

[Silly Cone]

The weight of the parts will be more than the case.

And the PSU will drain more wattage from the outlet than it delivers to the components. And the size of the components together will be less than the size of the case. Today Captain Obvious is in da house