Production Lazer3D - LZ XTD - Alternative Designs

Legion

Airflow Optimizer
Nov 22, 2017
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Any updates?
If you want something for a day one Ryzen 3xxx build, it's not going to happen that fast.
@K888D Will probably give you a more accurate date during the week sometime, he'll be off somewhere with his kids at weekends :)
He is getting close now though ;)

MicroATX with full-length full-height card support, SFX PSU, and 120mm AIO in 11.1L? How is this possible? I feel like I'm missing something.
Concept case 2
(265 mm) x (280 mm) x (150 mm) = 11.13 litres
It's all there in the dimensions !!
@K888D's idea of a full length card btw is reference card length i.e. ~267mm ish
Not 330mm monster cards you "may" be thinking of as "full sized" ;)
 
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K888D

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Any updates?

Launch is getting closer, unfortunately no firm date yet though. I'm still waiting to receive the official order from Overclockers to kick off production, but in the meantime I've been working on background tasks including the new configurator (which is going to rock by the way!).

Estimated launch is within the next 6 - 10 weeks, I'll keep you all updated as soon as I have a more firm timeframe.

MicroATX with full-length full-height card support, SFX PSU, and 120mm AIO in 11.1L? How is this possible? I feel like I'm missing something.

The Micro-ATX variant was never really developed beyond that concept, if it was I'm sure there would be a few mm added here and there which is usually the case once you start to flesh out a concept.

The LZ7 XTD will be Mini-ITX only with SFX PSU, it will support GPU's up to 278mm in length, CPU coolers up to 135mm in height, or a 140mm AIO, 140mm slim side fan and 92mm rear fan.

Meaning you should be able to comfortably cool top tier CPU's and GPU's.

@K888D's idea of a full length card btw is reference card length i.e. ~267mm ish
Not 330mm monster cards you "may" be thinking of as "full sized" ;)

Ha ha, yes, well my life has revolved around ITX length GPU's for the last few years with the LZ7, so moving up even to just reference length GPU's is a big step!
 

QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
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The Micro-ATX variant was never really developed beyond that concept, if it was I'm sure there would be a few mm added here and there which is usually the case once you start to flesh out a concept.

The LZ7 XTD will be Mini-ITX only with SFX PSU, it will support GPU's up to 278mm in length, CPU coolers up to 135mm in height, or a 140mm AIO, 140mm slim side fan and 92mm rear fan.

Meaning you should be able to comfortably cool top tier CPU's and GPU's.

I understand. I do think that if you launch a no-compromise <12L mATX case, you're going to make some headlines.
 

K888D

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Small Update:

The LZ7 XTD configurator has been completed in preparation for the launch, you can have a play around in the link below:


Please ignore the price, I had to input a price for the configurator to show it properly. Here are some examples of what can be done:




The wood front panels will be added to the configurator soon. If you spot any issues or have any feedback please let me know, much appreciated!
 

QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
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Amazing. Great use of cutting edge 3D printing technology.

I'm sorry if this has been addressed, but how does the PSU exhaust?
 
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K888D

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Amazing. Great use of cutting edge 3D printing technology.

I'm sorry if this has been addressed, but how does the PSU exhaust?
The PSU intakes and exhausts from and back into the case. From my testing this works fine, the high levels of airflow through the case keeps ambient temps low enough for the PSU to function as normal.
 

QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
507
358
The PSU intakes and exhausts from and back into the case. From my testing this works fine, the high levels of airflow through the case keeps ambient temps low enough for the PSU to function as normal.

That's amazing. I mean I know how toasty my SF600 can get in the NCase M1 with a fan directly feeding it from the side bracket and having a direct exhaust path. Here you have a solid wall up against the PSU exhaust with an intake fan on one side and another wall on the other. It really doesn't have an impact? I'd imagine under medium to heavy load that front wall gets very hot, PSU fan gets up to full RPM and CPU temperatures are significantly impacted.

I mean I trust your testing, you are obviously a professional, but would you mind sharing some details of the testing? That boxed in PSU really concerns me. Otherwise, absolutely love the case, especially in clear acrylic.
 

Tute

Average Stuffer
Sep 16, 2018
81
57
Is there an option for the back IO and front IO to be on opposite sides rather than at a right angle to each other?

Also, did the dimensions change between this and the prototype or did you keep it under 10L?

Oh, and whilst I know the price is a placeholder, what kind of pricing are we looking at for this?
 

K888D

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That's amazing. I mean I know how toasty my SF600 can get in the NCase M1 with a fan directly feeding it from the side bracket and having a direct exhaust path. Here you have a solid wall up against the PSU exhaust with an intake fan on one side and another wall on the other. It really doesn't have an impact? I'd imagine under medium to heavy load that front wall gets very hot, PSU fan gets up to full RPM and CPU temperatures are significantly impacted.

I mean I trust your testing, you are obviously a professional, but would you mind sharing some details of the testing? That boxed in PSU really concerns me. Otherwise, absolutely love the case, especially in clear acrylic.

I understand your concern, it was something that I thought about when finalising the layout, along with considering placing some exhaust vents next ot the PSU. But after testing the first prototype I concluded that it wasn't necessary, temperatures and noise were very good, adding extra side vents to the side panel would negatively impact the aesthetics.

Just to be sure I have carried out some new testing on the latest prototype today. The test system setup includes an i7-8700k @stock settings, GTX 1080Ti, SF450 PSU, Noctua NH-U9S cooler, Prolimatech Vortex 14 case fan.

To stress the system I used Prime95 with 8 threads maximum heat setting, whilst also running Heaven Benchmark @ max settings in the background. I set the fan profiles to what I would consider "medium" settings, i.e. they are not running at full capacity, but also not in "silent" low RPM mode.

The testing has been running over an hour flat out, I'm going to leave it going a few more hours just to be sure. The CPU is currently sat a steady 71C, the motherboard is sitting at 43C and the GPU is bouncing between 60C - 65C. The system is audible but not loud, the CPU fans are running around 1150 RPM, the case fan is running at roughly 700 RPM.

The PSU fan was off during idle, but is spinning during this testing. I am not sure how fast it is spinning, but it looks fairly slow to the eye. Putting my ear to the system with the top panel removed I cannot pick up any obvious fan noise coming from the PSU, whereas I can clearly hear the Prolimatech case fan and the GPU fans.

In terms of heat, touching the PSU after an hour of the stress testing it feels warm to the touch, but not hot. The CPU cooler however feels very hot! On the outside of the case, the side panel where the PSU exhausts against does feel what I would describe as luke-warm, whereas touching the front and top panel vents where the GPU exhausts feels very warm to the touch.

I hope that sort of answers your concerns? Sorry I can't provide specific PSU temps as I don't have any equipment to measure this, but my conclusion is that the PSU is comfortable to run in this configuration. Whilst the components I am using to test the system aren't the most demanding that you could build into this case, I feel they are tipping toward the higher end of the spectrum and so should give a good indication of the level of performance the average user can expect to achieve.

Here are some photos of the setup from the testing:


Testing was performed with XL-Vent Top Panel installed, here is view inside with panel removed (taken whilst system was idle - hence PSU fan off):



Is there an option for the back IO and front IO to be on opposite sides rather than at a right angle to each other?

Unfortunately the IO position is hard baked into the design of the case and cannot be moved.

Also, did the dimensions change between this and the prototype or did you keep it under 10L?

It has grown slightly to give a bit more clearance for GPUs that are slightly longer than reference.

The first prototype was exactly 10 litres, but the EVGA 1080Ti SC was touching the front panel. The case has since been extended by a further 10mm to give a total GPU length clearance of 278mm. The LZ7 XTD case volume now sits at 10.4 litres.

Oh, and whilst I know the price is a placeholder, what kind of pricing are we looking at for this?

Price has not been confirmed yet, but if all goes to plan it should start at around 10% - 15% higher than the LZ7 depending on the options you pick, for instance the FUSION panels (half etched gloss/smoked) will cost more due to the amount of extra time they take to make.
 

Tute

Average Stuffer
Sep 16, 2018
81
57
Okies, last question, are the panel interchangable with those from the LZ7? i.e could I use the front and rear from an LZ7 and then the LZXTD's body panels to essentuially create a long LZ7?
 

K888D

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Feb 23, 2016
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Okies, last question, are the panel interchangable with those from the LZ7? i.e could I use the front and rear from an LZ7 and then the LZXTD's body panels to essentuially create a long LZ7?
Yes exactly! The XTD is literally just an extension of the LZ7 that is fully backward compatible. You just replace the Top, Bottom, Left and Right Panel to extend your existing case. When the XTD launches it will also be available as an "upgrade kit", that contains just the parts you need including the extra screws, power cable and upgrade user manual.
 

QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
507
358
I understand your concern, it was something that I thought about when finalising the layout, along with considering placing some exhaust vents next ot the PSU. But after testing the first prototype I concluded that it wasn't necessary, temperatures and noise were very good, adding extra side vents to the side panel would negatively impact the aesthetics.

Just to be sure I have carried out some new testing on the latest prototype today. The test system setup includes an i7-8700k @stock settings, GTX 1080Ti, SF450 PSU, Noctua NH-U9S cooler, Prolimatech Vortex 14 case fan.

To stress the system I used Prime95 with 8 threads maximum heat setting, whilst also running Heaven Benchmark @ max settings in the background. I set the fan profiles to what I would consider "medium" settings, i.e. they are not running at full capacity, but also not in "silent" low RPM mode.

The testing has been running over an hour flat out, I'm going to leave it going a few more hours just to be sure. The CPU is currently sat a steady 71C, the motherboard is sitting at 43C and the GPU is bouncing between 60C - 65C. The system is audible but not loud, the CPU fans are running around 1150 RPM, the case fan is running at roughly 700 RPM.

The PSU fan was off during idle, but is spinning during this testing. I am not sure how fast it is spinning, but it looks fairly slow to the eye. Putting my ear to the system with the top panel removed I cannot pick up any obvious fan noise coming from the PSU, whereas I can clearly hear the Prolimatech case fan and the GPU fans.

In terms of heat, touching the PSU after an hour of the stress testing it feels warm to the touch, but not hot. The CPU cooler however feels very hot! On the outside of the case, the side panel where the PSU exhausts against does feel what I would describe as luke-warm, whereas touching the front and top panel vents where the GPU exhausts feels very warm to the touch.

I hope that sort of answers your concerns? Sorry I can't provide specific PSU temps as I don't have any equipment to measure this, but my conclusion is that the PSU is comfortable to run in this configuration. Whilst the components I am using to test the system aren't the most demanding that you could build into this case, I feel they are tipping toward the higher end of the spectrum and so should give a good indication of the level of performance the average user can expect to achieve.

Here are some photos of the setup from the testing:


Thanks very much for the detailed reply, @K888D!

Just to clarify, was the Prolimatech Vortex 14 exhausting or intaking? You intend that fan to be an intake, correct?

If the case fan is intaking, I'm guessing the vast majority of the PSU exhaust goes through the CPU cooler, which is less than ideal especially when overclocked. Have you considered adding some vents above the PSU exhaust (not on the front, but just a narrow row on top, like you have above the GPU) to give some of the PSU exhaust a more direct path out? Or you think that will mess with internal airflow/pressure? I don't think it would look too bad aesthetically.

Edit: Oh I see that you tested with the vented top panel. I think there will be a significant difference between that test and one with the solid top panel that only has the GPU vents. My comments referred to the solid top panel.
 
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K888D

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Is this something that you guys would be interested in:


It's just a concept at the moment, but I may get one made tomorrow to test out. It enables the LZ7 or LZ7 XTD to be stood vertically transforming the case into a vertical Tower style PC saving on desk space.
 

prava

Cable-Tie Ninja
Mar 21, 2017
171
259
Is this something that you guys would be interested in:


It's just a concept at the moment, but I may get one made tomorrow to test out. It enables the LZ7 or LZ7 XTD to be stood vertically transforming the case into a vertical Tower style PC saving on desk space.

It completely changes the character of the case, specially if you can use a wood type that contrasts with the colors chosen. Just like the ones on the picture.

So yes, it is a very good idea.
 
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Phuncz

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May 9, 2015
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Interesting ! Even though my OG LZ7 still holds up, it indeed gives the concept a new look.
 
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K888D

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Thanks for all the comments!

I made a prototype of the stand today, it worked out quite nicely. I agree that standing the case up completely changes the character of the case, I must admit though I quite like how it turned out.

With the stand the case can be stood vertically, or alternatively it can be used to rest the case on its side whilst providing sufficient gap to the desktop surface for any fans to breathe:




I also had a visit from @Legion who kindly built up his new Ryzen 5 3600, Gigabyte X570 I and RTX 2080 FE system into an XTD case. The CPU was cooled by the Scythe Big Shuriken 3 with a 120mm RGB fan mounted on top.

The blue/white colour choice of the case upon reflection probably wasn't the best to show off the serious hardware it was housing, but it still ended up looking pretty sweet:








For those who are interested in performance numbers, the RTX 2080 FE ran at 65C - 70C during looped 1 hour Heaven Benchmark, the Ryzen 5 3600 CPU ran at 85C during Prime95 maximum heat setting for 30 mins. With out of the box stock settings it achieved a score of 9,814 (graphics = 10,711, CPU = 6,658) for the Time Spy Benchmark.
 

prava

Cable-Tie Ninja
Mar 21, 2017
171
259
Just one thing: can you tinker with the case and the base hold it steady? What I mean is: can you plug and unplug cables without worry? Is the base screwed or something?