Wow thanks for all the questions, I'll do my best to answer them for you below!
The holes in the top panel, two on either side of the PSU vent area; what are they for...?
Originally they were added in case I ever developed a handle, but as you say, they could potentially be used for a multitude of different gizmos I suppose.
I could see using those for mounting a set of brackets to the top that would serve as a stand for a lightsaber hilt...
Functional computer AND display base all in one...!
Storing light sabers yes!
PSU sag, any chances of a bracket to support the PSU, maybe attached to the top panel...? Dunno how that would work with assembly / disassembly of the chassis though... Further thought makes me think one could put the top panel in first, reach in to place the support bracket in place & secure with thumbscrews thru the top panel; then button up the chassis by installing the front panel... Reverse it all to take the chassis apart as needed...?
Yes this is something I have put some thought into but not done anything about yet. Potentially a small bracket could be 3D printed that attaches and hangs from the holes in the top panel and provides a small ledge for the PSU to rest on. As you mention you would need to think about the order in which you install your components, it would add some difficulty.
I will see what I can do to design a bracket for this and report back to see what you think.
I can't speak to all of that, but it's been mentioned a few times that PSU sag is eliminated by the end of the build process.
Thanks, yes when you finish off your cabling in front of the PSU make sure you bundle and tie up those cables nice and tight, the cable bundle becomes very rigid doing this and provides extra support for the PSU.
GPU side, this can be a big gaping hole with the fan guard as well...?
Yes you can select an 'open' panel for the GPU side which can then either have a fan guard or dust filter mounted to the panel.
Still GPU side, thoughts on cooling changes if the GPU is de-shrouded...?Thoughts towards also de-fanning & mounting a slim 140mm fan to the side intake that blows directly on the GPU heatsink (and would be wired to the GPU fan header as well)...?
This is definitely possible and was actually tried by
@Phuncz in his build thread
HERE. But something to bare in mind is that when you remove the shroud of a GPU you are reducing the efficiency of the heatsink, the shroud plays a very important role in directing airflow into and along the entire length of every metal fin. Without the shroud airflow will hit the heatsink fins and just bounce off greatly reducing its effectivity, the airflow doesn't get into the nooks and crannies so to speak, just flows over the top.
I think Phuncz reported mixed results using this method.
In regards to the Big Shuriken CPU cooler, you mention the fan is noisy; thoughts towareds replacing same with either another Prolimatech fan or the (thinner, 13mm) Cryorig fan...? These both have 120mm mounting points, so they should mount up to the heatsink alright...?
Yes thats right, although the Big Shuriken 2 gives amazing temperature results, I wasn't impressed by the noise profile of the Scythe fan it comes with. It is quite audible even at idle speeds.
Here is a gallery of an early prototype build from last year with some temp results using the Scythe fan, another problem I found with the Scythe fan is that it wasn't reporting its RPM back to the motherboard, I could hear the fan increasing and decreasing in speed depending on temp so it was working properly, but the motherboard was registering it as 0 rpm:
I replaced the Scythe fan with an
Akasa FN078 and it pretty much silenced the cooler whilst also improving temperatures as well, these were the results I got when Prime95 testing an i5-6500, the temp tests are on the last 3 slides:
I was stunned by the Big Shuriken 2 + Akasa FN078 combination performance, with a custom low speed fan profile and under full Prime95 + Unigine Valley load of the i5-6500 and GTX 1070 the CPU maxed out at 50C with a fan speed under 900rpm, at this speed the FN078 is practically silent.
The final shot in the gallery shows the temp results when fan curves are reset to their default/auto settings, the CPU fan was running at 1550rpm (which was quite loud), but the CPU temp dropped to 45C under full stress load.
I'm sure you could try it with other 120mm slim fans aswell and find the best one, I can't wait for Noctua to release those 120mm and 140mm slim fans they
showed off a while back.
As to the I/O & Power / Reset panel; possibilty of the USB ports in Black (rather than the Blue) & the LEDs in a soft white (I think they are blue right now)...?
Unfortunately Black is not possible as the PCB assembly which includes the USB ports is an off the shelf component and cannot be modified.
In terms of the LED light colours, yes it can look blue in the photos but I think this is just my camera, its actually a white LED.
When choosing coloured corner pieces the light bleeds through the material and takes its colour, so if you have green corners the power LED will appear green as it glows through the material.
But the LZ7 seems to have plenty of airflow with the 140mm intake fan providing positive pressure & the 360 degree venting for the GPU...!
Efficient airflow and low noise was my primary objective for the LZ7. Heat re-circulation is SFF's number 1 enemy, lowering the full potential of high end hardware when used over extended periods of time.
Using a combination of a positive pressure wind tunnel effect and 360 degree direct GPU exhaust ventilation, all of the heat produced inside the LZ7 is pushed straight out the case before it has chance to re-circulate, giving the installed hardware the best chance to maintain high boost/clock speeds at low fan speeds.
A third of the way thru May, where is the Big Announcement that was coming in April...?!?
I know, I can only apologise. The case design is complete, I am just waiting for a final confirmation on something before I can make the announcement and kick off production to get the ball rolling again. I am just as frustrated as you guys as I want to get this moving, hopefully it will be worth it in the end.
Might this be an option from the third party vendor I have seen elsewhere in the thread that one can order panels from...? Might that same vendor also do powdercoating...? Matte Black, of course...
Or, of course, an option to order powdercoated aluminium panels as an option to the acrylic ones directly from you...?
I have no plans for metal panels at the moment, perhaps down the line it will be something to look into. I want to concentrate on making a success of the current design first.