Completed MJOLNIR: The minimalistic – but not boring – 9.7L Case

[Lindkvist]

Also very interested if any changes where made to accommodate a 120 instead of the now completely dead 92.

Question: is the glass design final? If so it have to be acrylic right

 

[LegendsofMace]

Guys, sorry for the lack of communication the past week. We put in full horse to complete the new trailer and progress further with the prototype. Going to answer all your questions and bring a nice update tomorrow

Very well done trailer man. If I may make a suggestion, it would be to have the motherboard tray cut-out. Plenty would appreciate it given the limited space with storage. Since, if there are two m.2 slots on an ITX board one of them will be on the back. Therefore it won't overheat/throttle as bad with the cut-out.

 

[Wantabiggercpu]

Live on Kickstarter in November? This seems to be a little bit rushed. There is no assembled prototype, no thermal tests and no independent tests. And I think this is very important for most people. Especially because regarding thermals this is mainly a DAN A4 with worse airflow.

The case is looking great and the new trailer is much better, but what we really need is a proof that this concept actually works regarding thermals, assembling, portability, stability of the glass panel and so on. This is much more needed then more RGB pictures and videos before starting a kickstarter

 

[AlexTzone]

Yes! That would be amazing. Increasing the capability for 120mm and large gpus, while looking this good, will help blow past most of your competition. Plus it helps future proof your case for newer hardware, as larger gpus are easier to find (same holds true for the 120mm aios). Plus, once you get to thermal testing, 120mm aios/ case fans should greatly help.

My only question is would this 5mm adjustment allow for the 120mm aio to fit in the same orientation that the original 92mm would fit? or would the orientation be different?

Yeah 5mm would actually do theoretically. The case is 125mm wide with 5mm thick walls so: 125 - 2*5 = 115 mm. :-) The way the AIO is mounted to the internal frame will have to be different however (same location though).

Hello (from Stockholm)! Just expressing my interest in this product

92 mm AIO coolers are getting increasing more rare, and with the currently available copper 92 mm radiators, there is no product that is less than 35 mm thick, making the future outlook of liquid cooling fairly bleak.

On the otherhand 120 mm radiators are of plenty and there are good pump/block combos like the one in the Eisbaer LT (Alphacool) that could be used to make a custom loop (like in the render). So I would think making the case accomodate a 120mm radiator a super great idea.

If that means that 2.5-slot cards can be mounted, that would be super, just because I have a 1080Ti Strix (although not a must, in my opinion). Otherwise as long as the FTW3 sized cards fits, I guess that caters for most.

Also, in the interest of having the radiator higher than the cpu block to minimize air acculation in the pump area, if there are no adverse effects, an option to invert the case to put the case upside down without being ugly would be nice to watercoolers. Having a meshed top or at least cutouts + filter on the top panel would probably be necessary for decent cooling?

Thanks for the ideas buddy! There are cutout both on top / bottom of the case

I think if they could create space for a 120mm AIO under the GPU (and allow compatibility of my 305mm long FTW3) and keep it under 9L it would be a near perfect case. To be able to account for almost any dual slot card and a 120mm AIO you would meet the requirements for 90% of SFF enthusiasts and would be something I would absolutely back and purchase. The quality of build and attention to detail is enough to me to justify the price, but that level of compatibility and component options would just make it close to perfect, as I don't know of any other production cases that use this layout that are able to support a 120mm AIO internally with full sized parts in under 9 litres

Though im not sure if the larger and taller cards with a 120mm aio could be contained within the 8-9L range. I do think it is possible/ideal to aim for reference sized cards to fit. As this will still cater to most of the community and hardware isnt in short supply as evga is a solid brand that has a few models still based on the reference PCB 2 lot design.

Thing is, the internal volume of MJOLNIR I is just under 7.5L. That said, 5mm thick walls and a couple of others things give the case it’s distinctive look. With 120mm AIO we will land on around 9.3L, we could make it smaller but that would ruin the aesthetics completely xP

How about expanding Total volume for [120mm AIO / add system cooler]?
(Ghost s1 - top hat)


or.....


apply this on top panel. :Q

Damn that looks cool! Yeah we have talked about adding 5mm more width to allow 120mm radiators Check out the quotes above

New trailer:


Much better!

Thanks a lot for notifying the community, really happy that you like it!! :-)

This case is looking so good

Much better trailer, puts the focus on the case where you want it.

Any update on those two?

Much better trailer btw!

A fantastic trailer that does a much better job showing off the design. Looking forward to the responses on the expansion to support 120mm/full size gpu.

Now THAT is a proper trailer! Well done @AlexTzone ! I wish you all the success with the KS!

Also very interested if any changes where made to accommodate a 120 instead of the now completely dead 92.

Question: is the glass design final? If so it have to be acrylic right

Very well done trailer man. If I may make a suggestion, it would be to have the motherboard tray cut-out. Plenty would appreciate it given the limited space with storage. Since, if there are two m.2 slots on an ITX board one of them will be on the back. Therefore it won't overheat/throttle as bad with the cut-out.

Live on Kickstarter in November? This seems to be a little bit rushed. There is no assembled prototype, no thermal tests and no independent tests. And I think this is very important for most people. Especially because regarding thermals this is mainly a DAN A4 with worse airflow.

The case is looking great and the new trailer is much better, but what we really need is a proof that this concept actually works regarding thermals, assembling, portability, stability of the glass panel and so on. This is much more needed then more RGB pictures and videos before starting a kickstarter

First of all guys, thank you so much for liking the new trailer. Your honesty was truly worth it! This project has been improved so many times thanks to everybody on here.

Don’t worry about early Kickstarters, this month you will see a finished prototype, thermal tests, assembly video and most hopefully an unbiased review by reputable source. Check out the update below to see the progress so far.

I see some questions about 120mm AIOs, please see the quoted messages further up (we are working on it).

 

[AlexTzone]

Heey guys, big update time!


First off, NEW TRAILER!
(Big thanks to @Flyingpepper for reposting it shortly after yesterday’s premiere). What can I say, it’s 100% thanks to you ALL. I can’t describe how happy I am that you pushed us in the right direction for the second one:


Feel free to subscribe to our YT so you get notified once we upload the assembly tutorial


Second, progress on the PROTOTYPE!
James from RockItCool (they offer awesome delidding tools, copper IHSs, etc) helped us create some really high quality parts for the internal frame. All CNCd, bead blasted and anodized black just like specified for the final product. Banan for scale!

I’ve got to say, I’m quite surprised how strong that mounting is (the 2 joined black plates). Especially since we haven’t mounted support bars for further strength. Of course I didn’t pull a hulk on it, but it didn’t budge under considerable tension. The final parts for the internal frame are on their way (shipped). Now only glass panels remain, we’re in talks with a producer now and should have a sample deal next week.


Third, thermal tests!
Yes, finally the thermal tests are on the horizon. We have ordered all hardware and will assemble everything as soon as the last internal frame parts arrive.

Hardware

• CPU: i7 8700 (non-K)
• CPU cooler: Noctua NH-L9i (will get a C7 too)
• GPU: Asus RTX 2070 8GB TURBO
• MOBO: Gigabyte Z370N WIFI
• RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro RGB
• PSU: SilverStone SX700 LPT
• M.2: Samsung 970 EVO 500GB
• 2.5" SSD: Samsung 860 EVO 500GB
• OS: Windows 10 Pro

Overall I think this hardware is rather decent and a pretty good representation of the average MJOLNIR I user (perhaps even stronger).

These tests will be done before we launch anything on Kickstarter, I intend to stick by my word and your recommendations.

Best,
Alex

 

[dlal1520]

thanks for the updates and the pictures of the beautiful prototype. Looking forward to thermal tests! It would be great if you use a open air gpu for these tests as well (especially since the rtx series is predominantly open air atm). Also looking forward to the implementation of 120mm aios. Its really great that you guys are listening to our feedback on this as we all hope for this project to be as successful as possible.

Hopefully with these expansions we can see the msi duke 2080ti/evga ftw3 type cards to fit within the case

 

[JDK]

@AlexTzone Nice update! Please don't forget to test both orientations and side panel types.

 

[miptzi]

man, this outer shell looks monolithic!! soooo tchiccccc and juicy

 

[Lindkvist]

That colour is absolutely perfect. Premium & minimalistic. Have to wait for the finished look with side panels on though

 

[Tazpr]

New trailer is amazing guys! Gives a really good idea of the product and what to expect, great work!
Looking forward to the thermal tests and further updates!

 

[AP2]

Damn! This thing looks Amazing. Can’t wait for the kick starter.

 

[BioClue]

This case hands down is the best looking case ever (with or without RGB)! Total agree that 92mm is something in the past and not practical.. I'm one of those who would love to see an extension or some sort of a way to install a 240mm AIO.

 

[AlexTzone]

thanks for the updates and the pictures of the beautiful prototype. Looking forward to thermal tests! It would be great if you use a open air gpu for these tests as well (especially since the rtx series is predominantly open air atm). Also looking forward to the implementation of 120mm aios. Its really great that you guys are listening to our feedback on this as we all hope for this project to be as successful as possible.

Hopefully with these expansions we can see the msi duke 2080ti/evga ftw3 type cards to fit within the case

@AlexTzone Nice update! Please don't forget to test both orientations and side panel types.

man, this outer shell looks monolithic!! soooo tchiccccc and juicy

That colour is absolutely perfect. Premium & minimalistic. Have to wait for the finished look with side panels on though

New trailer is amazing guys! Gives a really good idea of the product and what to expect, great work!
Looking forward to the thermal tests and further updates!

Damn! This thing looks Amazing. Can’t wait for the kick starter.

This case hands down is the best looking case ever (with or without RGB)! Total agree that 92mm is something in the past and not practical.. I'm one of those who would love to see an extension or some sort of a way to install a 240mm AIO.

Thanks you very much guys, it's an incredible relief that the new trailer did a better job than the last one Regarding the prototype, we should have received the last parts of the internal frame by Monady (same goes for all hardware) We still don't have the side panels, but I can't wait for those before we put stuff together (to excited)...so expect initial assembled prototype by Monday / Tuesday!

 

[AlexTzone]

ALSO, I'm sure that this will come as nice news: we have officially started working on 120 mm AIO implementation and fresh redesign of the metal side panels. All in all 6 things will be improved:

• 120 mm AIO compatibility
• Airflow with metal side panels
• Airflow for bottom of the case
• 5 mm extra on GPU Height
• 5 mm extra on GPU Width
• 19 mm extra on GPU Length

We should have the concepts ready in a couple of hours, at latest tomorrow. Case volume will change from 8.9L to 9.5L.

Best,
Alex

 

[For_Science]

• 120 mm AIO compatibility
• Airflow with metal side panels
• 5 mm extra on GPU Height
• 5 mm extra on GPU Width
• 13 mm extra on GPU Length
• The GPU bracket will be hidden. /QUOTE]

That is such great news! I was wondering if there is any feasible way to have a piece of metal to shroud the PCIe connector and riser on the GPU side? I always thought that piece of "raw" circuitry was abit unrefined. Obviously not too big, since that could also affect the GPU temperatures if it jutts out too much.

Although the 5 mm extra width won't accomodate any more cards (I don't think) it should help with reducing turbulent noise since 2-slot cards won't be smashed against the panel.

I think using the extra GPU length real estate to implement a recessed GPU bracket is also a fantastic idea, Although I suppose the riser cable will be a bit skewed and even more ugly, which would be in support to my point above about a shroud

As a complete side crazy thought, if there was a way to put feet on the back (motherboard I/O side) then a stylish tower style chassis is already there too The front bezel could be a good location to have a Qi charger. Just spit balling on the last paragraph here.

 

[dlal1520]

ALSO, I'm sure that this will come as nice news: we have officially started working on 120 mm AIO implementation and fresh redesign of the metal side panels. All in all 6 things will be improved:

• 120 mm AIO compatibility
• Airflow with metal side panels
• 5 mm extra on GPU Height
• 5 mm extra on GPU Width
• 13 mm extra on GPU Length
• The GPU bracket will be hidden. (I have always been irritated by those ugly brackets sticking out the back, so we'll implement a solution similar to the one in THOR I eGPU)

We should have the concepts ready in a couple of hours, at latest tomorrow. Case volume will change from 8.9L to 9.5L.

Best,
Alex

Well my prayers have been answered, we can fit cards like the 2080ti duke and aios like the kraken? This case is gonna be awesome, lookign forward to more pics

 

[Tazpr]

ALSO, I'm sure that this will come as nice news: we have officially started working on 120 mm AIO implementation and fresh redesign of the metal side panels. All in all 6 things will be improved:

• 120 mm AIO compatibility
• Airflow with metal side panels
• 5 mm extra on GPU Height
• 5 mm extra on GPU Width
• 13 mm extra on GPU Length
• The GPU bracket will be hidden. (I have always been irritated by those ugly brackets sticking out the back, so we'll implement a solution similar to the one in THOR I eGPU)

We should have the concepts ready in a couple of hours, at latest tomorrow. Case volume will change from 8.9L to 9.5L.

Best,
Alex

Any increase in size would be WELL worth the additional value these changes will give.
Better GPU support and 120mm AIO support will appeal to a far greater audience.

 

[For_Science]

@AlexTzone

Since it sounds like you will be machining another external chassis for the 120 mm AIO, I thought I'd like to be extra vocal about my concerns for the lack of cutouts in certain areas of the prototype at the moment.

Either in the inverted layout (my preferred layout) as with all sandwich style cases, the majority of the intake will happen from the sides. It is questionable as to whether there is any intake from the front grills, perhaps from virtue of negative pressure, but I assume the openings in the side panel will always win first by proximity.

So at the moment, there is a great solid chunk of glass that would either be bouncing back the heat from the radiator, or the PSU, and the whole of the GPU side. I think it is imperative that there are some cutouts in the top glass piece as well to facilitate any kind of decent heat dissipation. This will mean that a dust filter would be a nice touch to prevent dust falling into the chassis constantly.

On the chassis side of things, in the "standard" orientation, the radiator is presumably flush against this solid piece of aluminium that isn't even visible, so it would be super great for this to be very vented. Honestly, I wouldn't be so salty if it was even completly open, but I suppose you need some minimal coverage to prevent from things jutting into the case during transport, for example. But this part should be very holey in my opinion. In the "inverted" layout, this part will be necessary for the PSU exhaust.

Basically I think with all these solid panelling so far, you risk too much heat bouncing back in. When you do you thermal tests I guess you have the internal control of temps with the external aluminium chassis and with the whole internals removed and running "fully open"; hopefully you (we?) can improve the aluminium chassis so that there is very little delta between the fully open mode and with the chassis on top of it.

 

[wolfatpno]

Is it possible to add a system fan when increasing volume?

 

[killerdan56]

I say get rid of glass and lower price with plastic instead