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Production Lazer3D HT5 - Low Profile APU Case

duke00

Average Stuffer
May 27, 2016
63
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Why you dont add one low profil pci slot in the back panal. Then you can add tv cards or streaming cards/Recording cards or a small cad graka like wx4100? This will be open so much more applications for your case.
 
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K888D

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Feb 23, 2016
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Would there a be a rear panel that supports an IEC connector? Thinking of using HDPlex 160 AC-DC internally.

Both rear panels have a C14 cutout that the HDPLEX AC-DC input connectors can be mounted to.

Why you dont add one low profil pci slot in the back panal. Then you can add tv cards or streaming cards/Recording cards or a small cad graka like wx4100? This will be open so much more applications for your case.

The case will be supplied with a second rear panel that allows you to fit a single/dual slot low profile expansion card into the case.
 
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CC Ricers

Shrink Ray Wielder
Bronze Supporter
Nov 1, 2015
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Hi guys!
Its a honor being part of the Lazer3D team and I can say that working with @K888D I got to learn a quite lot.
Our collaboration already gave very positive results in development of our projects, mine especially, and I'll keep doing my best to help lazer3D in its future achievements!

Congrats on the collab with Lazer3D. That's gonna be a good showcase of your work!
 

KDaddy

Cable Smoosher
Jun 22, 2017
10
18
Current LZ7 owner, and will purchase this one immediately if it can host the HDPlex 160W AC-DC internally. That being said, I love your work @K888D
@K888D said it can fit a HDPlex 160w AC-DC but not officially due to clearance issues with specific CPU coolers and such. However I have a prototype case arriving at my door very soon as well as the HDPlex AC-DC, so I can confirm soon enough.
 

K888D

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Feb 23, 2016
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Current LZ7 owner, and will purchase this one immediately if it can host the HDPlex 160W AC-DC internally. That being said, I love your work @K888D

Thank you very much for the comments and support!

@K888D said it can fit a HDPlex 160w AC-DC but not officially due to clearance issues with specific CPU coolers and such. However I have a prototype case arriving at my door very soon as well as the HDPlex AC-DC, so I can confirm soon enough.

Looking forward to seeing your build and feedback.

Regarding the HDPLEX AC-DC adapter, using it internally is possible, but it would probably require a bit of end user "messing" to find the best place to position it in the case and you may need to use double sided tape or Velcro to fix it in place. There is room, but I've found that wherever you try and put it there is always a compromise or compatibility issue of some sort. Therefore the case does not officially support internal HDPLEX AC-DC adapter.

Also I want to apologise for my recent slow response time, I've been so overwhelmingly busy trying to keep up with demand since the start of the year, along with trying to develop a new case. I blame @Tek Everything for the awesome videos he keeps putting out :)
 

QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
507
358
I haven't read the entire thread, but my initial impression is -- if you're going to provide so much clearance for a CPU cooler, then you're outside of the strictly APU range. I'm thinking a strictly APU case can be under 2L if using the Noctua L9a as APUs don't consume that much power. With that much vertical and horizontal clearance, you have to have the option for fully internal power, perhaps 160W fully internal power or 400W HDPlex + external brick. And you have to support a low-profile GPU. A low-profile GPU greatly improves the functionality of the case as you can now have a 1050 Ti which is 2.5 times more powerful than the 2400G, not to mention you'd have the option to build a non-APU system, even an X299 system. I know at that point the case is in a different category where there are already options, but I don't see anything wrong with that.
 
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K888D

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Feb 23, 2016
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I haven't read the entire thread, but my initial impression is -- if you're going to provide so much clearance for a CPU cooler, then you're outside of the strictly APU range. I'm thinking a strictly APU case can be under 2L if using the Noctua L9a as APUs don't consume that much power. With that much vertical and horizontal clearance, you have to have the option for fully internal power, perhaps 160W fully internal power or 400W HDPlex + external brick. And you have to support a low-profile GPU. A low-profile GPU greatly improves the functionality of the case as you can now have a 1050 Ti which is 2.5 times more powerful than the 2400G, not to mention you'd have the option to build a non-APU system, even an X299 system. I know at that point the case is in a different category where there are already options, but I don't see anything wrong with that.

Thanks for the comments. You are right, the CPU clearance is a conciosu decision for a couple of reasons. I want this case to be able to have the possibility to run silent using high end chips, or even offer some potential overclocking cooling headroom, with room for only an NH-L9 that isn't possible. To be honest I was expecting some 95w APU's from AMD which would have been a challenge for the L9a, maybe they will release some at a later date.

Regarding the LP GPU's, these are supported with the case, I am using a prototype of this case for my own personal HTPC with a GTX 1050Ti. Each HT5 will come with 2 rear rear panels that allow you to configure the case either for integrated or dedicated graphics.
 

jujudk

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Oct 1, 2017
130
91
I was also expecting higher tdp apu and as such being more powerful , i wonder if with 12 nm they could push the number of vega cores to 16 or something like that anyway =p

I also wonder if a low profile vega card is possible at some point if they indeeed do extend the vega technology to the entire lineup of gpu
 

K888D

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Feb 23, 2016
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I was also expecting higher tdp apu and as such being more powerful , i wonder if with 12 nm they could push the number of vega cores to 16 or something like that anyway =p

I also wonder if a low profile vega card is possible at some point if they indeeed do extend the vega technology to the entire lineup of gpu
I've heard that the current number of cores they have in the APU's is limited by memory bandwidth, so increasing cores may not necessarily lead to much performance increase. Hopefully AMD can come up with something to try and work around this limitation perhaps with their next gen version.
 
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QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
507
358
Thanks for the comments. You are right, the CPU clearance is a conciosu decision for a couple of reasons. I want this case to be able to have the possibility to run silent using high end chips, or even offer some potential overclocking cooling headroom, with room for only an NH-L9 that isn't possible. To be honest I was expecting some 95w APU's from AMD which would have been a challenge for the L9a, maybe they will release some at a later date.

Regarding the LP GPU's, these are supported with the case, I am using a prototype of this case for my own personal HTPC with a GTX 1050Ti. Each HT5 will come with 2 rear rear panels that allow you to configure the case either for integrated or dedicated graphics.

Thanks for catching me up to speed. Quick question -- will it be possible to run a low-profile GPU and cool it with aftermarket fans, AND have an HDPlex 400 in there?
 

TinyAudio

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jan 9, 2017
188
132
Really liking this design, bourbon sounds right up my street.
Is it possible to have a black top panel? I don't like seeing the "giblets" of my pc.
 
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K888D

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Feb 23, 2016
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Thanks for catching me up to speed. Quick question -- will it be possible to run a low-profile GPU and cool it with aftermarket fans, AND have an HDPlex 400 in there?

Yes you can fit an LP GPU and HDPLEX DC-ATX 400w at the same time, whether you can fit an LP GPU and aftermarket fans is completely dependent on the GPU you are using. There is enough space for a dual slot GPU + about 8mm of clearance to the side panel.

HDPLEX Configuration
The case comes with 2 side panels, one of them has dedicated M3 standoffs inserted in the panel for mounting a HDPLEX DC-ATX. The side panels are interchangeable so you can mount the HDPLEX either side to suit your layout requirements.

There is also a separate multi-functional mounting 'slot in' panel that can be fitted either side of the case that a HDPLEX can be mounted to, but this is offset from the side panel and so reduces clearance and may interfere with some motherboards/CPU coolers or RAM, this panel can also be used to mount other types of PSU's, fans, HDD's etc.

If you don't fit an LP GPU then there is also an extra 'slot' in panel that can be fitted accross the front of the case that can be used to mount extra 2.5" drives or some power supplies including HDPLEX DC-ATX. But this again is highly dependent on your motherboard layout, RAM and CPU cooler clearances.

Hopefully I will soon be able to post images of all this stuff to give you a clearer idea of what I'm talking about.

Is it possible to have a black top panel? I don't like seeing the "giblets" of my pc.

We may be able to offer the dark tinted or totally black matte panel as an extra accessory panel, but the 'Bourbon' style case will come with a clear gloss top window panel, customisation will be limited beyond picking from the 4 different versions.

With the HT5 I want to stick to set configurations so I can streamline production and stock completed cases to help with reducing cost and lead times. With the LZ7 each case is custom made to order and due the amount of material choices and design options it takes allot of time to set up the laser cutter for each case.
 

QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
507
358
Yes you can fit an LP GPU and HDPLEX DC-ATX 400w at the same time, whether you can fit an LP GPU and aftermarket fans is completely dependent on the GPU you are using. There is enough space for a dual slot GPU + about 8mm of clearance to the side panel.

HDPLEX Configuration
The case comes with 2 side panels, one of them has dedicated M3 standoffs inserted in the panel for mounting a HDPLEX DC-ATX. The side panels are interchangeable so you can mount the HDPLEX either side to suit your layout requirements.

There is also a separate multi-functional mounting 'slot in' panel that can be fitted either side of the case that a HDPLEX can be mounted to, but this is offset from the side panel and so reduces clearance and may interfere with some motherboards/CPU coolers or RAM, this panel can also be used to mount other types of PSU's, fans, HDD's etc.

If you don't fit an LP GPU then there is also an extra 'slot' in panel that can be fitted accross the front of the case that can be used to mount extra 2.5" drives or some power supplies including HDPLEX DC-ATX. But this again is highly dependent on your motherboard layout, RAM and CPU cooler clearances.

Hopefully I will soon be able to post images of all this stuff to give you a clearer idea of what I'm talking about.

Great, thank you so much. I'd love to see those images. One last follow-up -- with the LP GPU and HDPlex 400W installed, will there be room for 2.5" drives?
 
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K888D

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Great, thank you so much. I'd love to see those images. One last follow-up -- with the LP GPU and HDPlex 400W installed, will there be room for 2.5" drives?
Yes you can fit 1x 2.5" along the front of the case. In the Unicorn Reviews video you can see a glimpse of a slot in panel that sits along the front of the case. This is a different panel to the extra 'multi-functional' panel I was referring in my previous post that you can only use with an APU layout.
 

ebc92

Average Stuffer
Mar 4, 2018
73
71
We may be able to offer the dark tinted or totally black matte panel as an extra accessory panel, but the 'Bourbon' style case will come with a clear gloss top window panel, customisation will be limited beyond picking from the 4 different versions.

Yes please! The Bourbon would look sick with a dark tinted panel. As for HDPLEX AC-DC adapter compatibility, can you elaborate on the compromises? Was hoping to fit the AC-DC and 2x 80mm fans together with the NH-L12S.
 
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K888D

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Feb 23, 2016
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Yes please! The Bourbon would look sick with a dark tinted panel. As for HDPLEX AC-DC adapter compatibility, can you elaborate on the compromises? Was hoping to fit the AC-DC and 2x 80mm fans together with the NH-L12S.

If you imagine that there is a 35mm gap each side of the motherboard (Left, Right and Front side of the case) to the inside faces of the case, this is enough space to fit 25mm fans or a HDPLEX DC-ATX without interfering with the motherboard. But the HDPLEX AC-DC adapters are 43mm tall, so they will overhang into the motherboard space. It is therefore highly dependant on your motherboard layout and component choice as to whether they will be compatible with each other.

This image may help to explain the layout and options a bit better:


I'll post some more images in a moment that may also help to explain the clearances inside the case when using different types of components.
 

K888D

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Feb 23, 2016
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Here are some more images I've been meaning to post for a while that may help to explain the case layout better than I can with just words!

Topless HT5 with HDPLEX 400w HiFi DC-ATX and 2x 80x25mm fans, the CPU cooler is the Noctua NH-L9x65:


Another view from the side that allows you to see the clearance when fitting a HDPLEX DC-ATX unit, there isn't much space left around the motherboard if you want to fit fans and HDD's. You also have to remember that the HDPLEX 160w and 300w AC-DC units are bigger than the DC-ATX units:


Closeup of the the side slot fan and multifunction panels (design has been tweaked slightly since this photo):


As you can seen you can create some interesting layered combinations, in the photo above I'm using some 15mm thick 80mm Akasa fans which then leaves room for a second multifunctional mount panel. This is the case I am personally using as my test HTPC, I have attached a slim generic 120w DC-DC board onto this panel which you will see in the later photos below.

A better view of the clearances with the dual layered side combos:


Now onto a dedicated LP GPU layout with the alternative rear panel (included with case):


Typical layout with LP GPU on the left and 2x 80mm fans on the right and space for a 2.5" HDD in the front, or perhaps even a slim line DC-DC power board:


Alternative layout using 2x slim 80mm fans and the multifunctional panel on the same side to mount a 120w DC-DC power board in combination with LP GPU:


Slot panel cover in place with tinted window panel to the side:



BONUS PHOTOS


HT5 Stealth in vertical position:


HT5 Timber with RGB RAM amd motherboard lighting glowing through front frosted strip:


Mini Tower of power!