MacPro (Late 2013) mini-ITX case mod

[GuilleAcoustic]

We do have a huge cylindrical trash at the office. It very much looks like a big MacPro

Edit: Found a pic of the trash model on Foogle image

 

[dunecase]

Ok guys I am back ... and would like to thank Phuncz for bringing me back here ... he got my attention and many thanks ..

First let me be clear that we have invested a lot of time and money in this project ... We hired a really good designer from europe in to asia .. our manufacture is world class in shenzhen and the co-founder is Kip Kokinakis who has 30 years experience in manufacturing. He was also the CEO of Aureal 3D audio sound cards for those that remember A3D and also the CEO of MyVu which were the personal viewers.

We have done four prototypes and all we could to get this project to were it is and it is at the point where everything is lined up and ready to tool. We just have to press the button to start the process. As said we are an experienced team, our manufacture is experience, the CAD drawings have been modify to put Dune Case in to production and the estimation time is accurate as we have calculated and measure carefully.

You guys have been probably reading the Mac rumors forum and thats ok .. but in here i think the audience is very different. Yes I do apoligize for not paying attention in this forum. The forums are very powerful and I have learned many things over the course of 2-3 weeks. I wish I had more people to help me out hahhaa .. but let me be clear that there is life after Kickstarter for Dune Case. We have as said before very creditable people on this team including my self.

I have been in the PC building business for a long time and my first venture is now one of the biggest retailers in Melbourne with over 200 employees ... Also the co-founder has creditably to deliver ...

Here are the designs to give you guys a better understanding.

This is the front panel. The display connectors is 2 x HDMI 2.0 or Display Port 1.2 This is all connected to a custom pcb and at the bottm of the PCB it has connectors that go into the PSU bracket

Here we show exactly how the cables are piped into the PSU bracket. You can also see that the PSU bracket splits the airflow into 2 sections. GPU and CPU. The cables are then channeled to the mid section of the case.

As you can see on from the PSU bracket the cables are piped in the mid section of the case. The mid section has the PCIe riser, HDD mounts, PSU cables that feed to the motherboard, front panel cables for mb, and cables for GPU. This section is closed off with a door that is also a GPU mount.

Anyway guys you are the first to see these drawings and I hope it has answered some of the questions you were looking for answers too.. please let me know if you have any more questions as I am happy to answer them .. thanks,

Alexander Gomez

 

[Winebaths]

Thanks for the update!

This is kind of the stuff I was looking for when the campaign launched, though. Nice to see that it's here now.

Any plans to send out review samples? I'd like to get some more in depth coverage than stuff that's basically just on the kickstarter page.

Edit: Also, have you considered moving the front panel IO to the GPU side to allow for taller CPU coolers?

 

[dunecase]

Thanks Winebaths ... Cool name .. how did you come up with that .. hahaha all good

Thanks for the comments .. I'm just so overloaded and its overwhelming at time during the campaign.

Yes, once funded I will definitely get reviews out and I think after kickstarter and the case is reviewed it will be more successful because people will release this is a quality product and its something different.

I actually wanted to do that but the room inside that case is really tight. If this is funded I will look at talking to one of the major PSU supplier in doing a custom gold certified PSU. If I could do a custom PSU this would free up the bottom part and potentially could have a full size GPU. The front panel is a little tricky because if you re-position the front panel you give less support for the top of the case and you probably don't want to bend the top easily. When you change a little here, there is always an effect somewhere ... But I do like your suggestion and I am always thinking ways to improve. Thanks Alex

 

[Winebaths]

I still don't see where the Wifi Antenna would connect? is there a wifi antenna connected to the case somehow? I think I saw you said it was at the top but I can't see anything from these updated images

 

[dunecase]

yes there are mounts for the top to accommodate for that I'll update pictures tomorrow ... its on top near the fan

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

This is kind of the stuff I was looking for when the campaign launched, though. Nice to see that it's here now.

You're right, and it was a mistake that all that wasn't shared from the beginning. But I can relate to them being overwhelmed, we've felt similarly and our case has been anticipated for over a year now

Projects and crowdfunding campaigns are as much a sequence of lessons as they are commercial efforts on the part of creators. Mistakes will always be made. What really matters, ultimately, is if you change and adapt to them.

This new-found receptiveness is a pleasant sign of Dune Case heading in that direction.

If this is funded I will look at talking to one of the major PSU supplier in doing a custom gold certified PSU. If I could do a custom PSU this would free up the bottom part and potentially could have a full size GPU.

I'd strongly consider doing this if you have the resources (which you'll need a lot of, probably $100,000+, to do this). You'd be able to go much, much further with this design if you could adapt the power supply to fit within the abnormal shape. Further, since you're limited to a single graphics card anyway, a ~500W power supply would be enough for practically anyone.

(You'd also be able to offer additional value to customers - and capture more revenue - by bundling the power supply with the case in this way, so the consumer-side economics are also good.)

The caveat, at least with what I know about the industry, though, is that you'd have to be selling a lot of cases to make this work. Many thousands at least, and probably more. Plus, scaling to that volume would be a very tough challenge given the design of the enclosure - you don't have obvious methods like stamping to "grow into".

 

[dunecase]

You are very observant and I am surprise with your response. You know your stuff and I'm glad you understand were I'm coming from.

You right... Custom PSU will be expensive to make and on top of the the certification of its grade is going to cost you. Ideally if there is enough people that like this case I will be doing that option.. but the numbers have to show to make it a viable investment.

I really wanted to do something different with the PC. It reminds me of Phones. I remember when phones where always plastic and the same because that is what the industry got used to. Then a phone maker did some radical things to the phone with manufacturing process and broke tradition. Today nearly all the phones are using aluminum with some complex machining. I want to do that with the PC case. While PC are always in box designs, I wanted to try something new with the PC case.

Yes your right, the design is hard to manufacture but we came up with some cleaver techniques to get the cylinder with a curved top. It was endless nights of discussion but we got it cost effective in the process used ... and let me say its not welding...

anyway PlayfulPhoenix .. thanks for you comments .. I'm going to bed now .. its like 5am in Hong Kong ... good night

 

[QinX]

I'm hoping the kickstarter succeeds in bringing this case to market, but to be honest and this is my very personal opinion. You talk about as being totally unique and new. But in fact is isn't and I'm a bit bummed by this.

Yes this is a gorgeous looking product but it is a PC hardware compatible clone of the Mac Pro just plain and simple. That you had to do a lot a engineering to do it better then the other Chinese knock-offs is certainly visible, but to me the, "we wanted to do something different" , and then present a larger Mac Pro and having an almost identical ID, the bottom vents look identical, is a turn off for me.

Lastly:
Saying that this design is superior in thermals because it of the vertical airflow is absolute rubbish, natural convection occurs only with passive cooling, that fan doesn't aid natural convection it removes it by forcing air.
I can guarantee you can lay the case on its side and have the exact same thermal performance.

Apple has superior thermal design, not because it doesn't throttle when the CPU and both GPUs are loaded, but because it shares a single heatsink among all 3 chips.
*Note, this is already common in notebooks and with some NUC like systems, but Apple does it on high performance desktop gear.

Sorry for the negativity but I don't like it when people say, we are trying something unique and new, but it aren't.

 

[dunecase]

Hi QinX .. Thanks for comments and your support in hoping that this Kickstarter will succeeds. I have confidence that it will and if funded or not Dune Case will continue to move forward. The market response has been great for the Dune Case as many people love it and want to be the first to get one or wait for it to be reviewed. That has given us validation that there is a market that wants quality build for the PC user.

I respect your comments about the Dune Case. But computers in cylindrical designs is nothing new. There are a number of cases and computers on the market before 2013 that have had cylindrical designs. "Fic Piston" in 2005 did a great job of doing a cylindrical design case and is just one example. But what is different is more the inside than out side and as you can see we did put a lot of effort engineering this right.

I'm not an expert in air flow but I did get an experience CAD designer and engineer from Europe to come to China and work with the factory to come up with the best air flow possible inside the case and best manufacturing practices for the case. I also sacrificed time away from my family in Australia to make this happen. The CAD designer worked with Solid works and other tools to optimize airflow. We started with prototype one, analysed, made CAD changes, then built the next prototype. We did this four times. We used solidworks to Identify heat spots inside the case and with every progression on the case the heat was reduced every time. We also came up with a unique PSU bracket that splits the air into two chambers that has uninterrupted airflow to the top of the case. The cables are nicely hidden in a compartment behind the GPU door mount and not dangling around in the case. In addition there is a large 140mm fan on top that can pull a bit of air out side of the case. The designs of the case is some thing different and in the designs we did our best to isolate the passage of airflow to achieve optimal airflow.

When comparing apple's with banana's you are not going to get the same result. And as stated many times, this is a PC case that can accommodate a variety of processors as long as it supports the Mini ITX motherboard. Also some GPU run hotter than others. If this case was specifically focused on one set of hardware then that is a very different story. If it was, we could of optimized the Case based on specific characteristics of the hardware. It simply isn't. The beautiful thing about this case it can house hardware specs that is suitable for your lifestyle.

All good here bro and I respect your thoughts, but I do believe we have done something new for the PC. While cylindrical designs / 3D shapes have existed for a long time, the uniqueness of this case is more inside than out. Thanks for your comments

Alex

 

[Phuncz]

While I agree with QinX that this isn't something new, I am very (extremely) happy someone made this possible to have with an mITX system and that strives for high quality materials and finishing. I wanted to do this project myself as a one-off but with dual GPUs using PCIe bifurcation and a central heatsink, but it is so incredibly daunting and with a lack of CAD experience, this was probably going to take me multiple years just to learn SolidWorks, only to realise it's futile and I don't have time for it anymore.

I wish it would have been possible with the single heatsink but that's impossible without requiring specific components and an insane price.

 

[|||]

I wanted to do this project myself as a one-off but with dual GPUs using PCIe bifurcation and a central heatsink

You may have signal integrity issues with an approach like this as well without a completely custom connector. Otherwise there would be multiple extenders with the bifurcation in the middle. The PCI-e specification supports only a limited number of interconnects...I forget what the limit is for PCI-e 3.0 (might be 3), but with PCI-e 4.0 it will be pretty much a hard stop at two interconnects (signalling will rise up to 8GHz), so a single extender, including those that do the bifurcation. Many of the mass produce slim cases that have the rigid right angle plus riser combo will have to change, probably to a flex riser, when PCI-e 4.0 comes to market.

 

[Phuncz]

My tests with PCIe bifurcation did work though, although not tested extensively:

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

To be honest and this is my very personal opinion. You talk about as being totally unique and new. But in fact is isn't and I'm a bit bummed by this.

Yes this is a gorgeous looking product but it is a PC hardware compatible clone of the Mac Pro just plain and simple. That you had to do a lot a engineering to do it better then the other Chinese knock-offs is certainly visible, but to me the, "we wanted to do something different" , and then present a larger Mac Pro and having an almost identical ID, the bottom vents look identical, is a turn off for me.

Sorry for the negativity but I don't like it when people say, we are trying something unique and new, but it aren't.

I respect your comments about the Dune Case. But computers in cylindrical designs is nothing new. There are a number of cases and computers on the market before 2013 that have had cylindrical designs. "Fic Piston" in 2005 did a great job of doing a cylindrical design case and is just one example. But what is different is more the inside than out side and as you can see we did put a lot of effort engineering this right.

These two points don't seem mutually exclusive. And it isn't the functional design that you've "copied" from Apple - the internal layout/design is quite different, after all - it's the aesthetics of the case and how you've been marketing it.

While I agree with QinX that this isn't something new, I am very (extremely) happy someone made this possible to have with an mITX system and that strives for high quality materials and finishing. I wanted to do this project myself as a one-off but with dual GPUs using PCIe bifurcation and a central heatsink, but it is so incredibly daunting and with a lack of CAD experience, this was probably going to take me multiple years just to learn SolidWorks, only to realise it's futile and I don't have time for it anymore.

The "dream" would be a barebones kit that had the enclosure, a custom-designed and integrated PSU at the bottom, and a custom board that had two mirrored PCI slots on opposing sides, such that graphics cards could flank both sides of the board. You could angle the cards inward (above the board), and create a triangle of sorts that would fit within the cylinder, with the open center acting as a channel in which air could be pulled through all the heatsinks and out the top of the case.

Without going totally custom on the board, and probably the PSU, getting standard components in a Mac Pro-like enclosure will pretty much always require significant compromises (mITX board, one short GPU, etc).

 

[Pat-Roner]

I respect your comments about the Dune Case. But computers in cylindrical designs is nothing new. There are a number of cases and computers on the market before 2013 that have had cylindrical designs. "Fic Piston" in 2005 did a great job of doing a cylindrical design case and is just one example. But what is different is more the inside than out side and as you can see we did put a lot of effort engineering this right.

Not to be disrespectful, but this is a pretty blatant copy of the Mac Pro. I'll give you that a cylindrical pc's aren't new, but this is almost a carbon copy of the Mac.

Dark finish
Top vent
Curvatures
Placement of the IO + the layout of the panel itself
Separation point of the cover/case
Even the intakes at the bottom is similar

I love the effort that have been taken to make this clone as high quality as possible, but I agree with QinX on this one -

Sorry for the negativity but I don't like it when people say, we are trying something unique and new, but it aren't.

 

[alfredcamps]

Hi guys.. I thought I should share what I worked on for a year. I went through 4 different versions and after nearly a year I got it right. Thermals, cable management, custom front panel with custom PCB for power on/off button, custom connectors to the motherboard and GPU. I also worked very hard with my buddy who is a CAD designer to get the size down to 7 inches. This was very difficult.

Here is how the final version looks like...

I put a lot of hard work into this and thank everyone that helped me. I think this is what everyone is wanting to do. It just takes hard work to get there to do a decent job.

hello buddy how much is that totaly ?

 

[K888D]

TechPowerUp have posted an article about this case:

http://www.techpowerup.com/220712/dune-case-is-the-mac-pro-lookalike-that-everyone-can-have.html

 

[Phuncz]

The campaign ended, without succesfully funding it, at $75,000 / $130,000.

Stay Tuned: This is not the end.

First, thank you to all of our backers and supporters. Without you, we would not be where we are today. Kickstarters are not easy, and we’ve learned valuable lessons. We’ve also confirmed how amazing the Mini-ITX community is – your support has been unyielding and for that we are truly grateful.

Second, yes. We are working on a plan to bring Dune Case to market no matter what happens with the Kickstarter. We have been in touch with our manufacturer and a few distributors on how best to make that happen. It won’t be overnight, but this campaign proved what we knew – there is a market for a cylindrical Mini-ITX PC Case that looks as good in a living room as it does in an office.

To keep in touch, email info@dunecase.com. You can also follow our Twitter (@dunecase), Facebook (fb.me/dunecase), Instagram (DuneCase) and YouTube (dunecase) accounts for updates.

Again, thank you for all of your support, questions, comments and suggestions. This has been a great experience. We look forward to the future of Dune Case and are happy you share in that excitement.

Alex

 

[dre]

This case would be amazing for a portable VR rig if it could support a full sized graphics card (980 Ti).
Any plans on also making a version for full sized gpu cards in time for the VR buying craze?

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

I think I would go for a smaller FT03 versus a Mac Pro clone, simply because PC components are boxy. I really like the small size and I bought one of the Chinese "Pi" knockoff mac pro clones, it was ok for what it was but I think a cube shape can fit a lot more inside without wasted space if done right. It also won't need to be overengineered as much if the I/O goes straight out the back without adapters.

Still it'd be nice to see this make it to market. I was hoping Deepcool would release their Pentower case but that never happened