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

Which MJOLNIR I are you interested in?

  • Standard Version - 299 USD

    Votes: 484 74.3%
  • RGB Version (No controller) - 319 USD

    Votes: 63 9.7%
  • RGB Version (With controller) - 349 USD

    Votes: 104 16.0%

  • Total voters
    651

For_Science

Master of Cramming
Feb 16, 2018
446
612
I'll make sure to snap a couple of comparisons between Dark and Space Grey when I run into someone that has one, since nobody on the team has MACs lol ? This will have to wait until after we've launched production.

Did you get samples for the extruded chassis yet? I think everyone is very anxious to see this :p
 
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AlexTzone

I design minimalistic – but not boring – PC stuff
Original poster
THOR ZONE
Silver Supporter
Sep 23, 2017
1,287
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Did you get samples for the extruded chassis yet? I think everyone is very anxious to see this :p

Extrusions aren't possible to sample, but the factory is very knowledgeable in that field. Also, they are aware that the extruded chassis is part of the order and that it has to be uniform with the rest of the case, otherwise we'll not pay the balance and dispute the deposit (held by a 3rd party until quality inspection is approved). I'm confident that the chassis will turn out great, since our incentives are strongly aligned and both we & factory have set up special plans for that part ?
 

For_Science

Master of Cramming
Feb 16, 2018
446
612
Extrusions aren't possible to sample, but the factory is very knowledgeable in that field. Also, they are aware that the extruded chassis is part of the order and that it has to be uniform with the rest of the case, otherwise we'll not pay the balance and dispute the deposit (held by a 3rd party until quality inspection is approved). I'm confident that the chassis will turn out great, since our incentives are strongly aligned and both we & factory have set up special plans for that part ?
Do you have an ETA on the first inspection?
 

AlexTzone

I design minimalistic – but not boring – PC stuff
Original poster
THOR ZONE
Silver Supporter
Sep 23, 2017
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Do you have an ETA on the first inspection?

Shortly before loading & shipment, since the cases will be fully assembled during final inspection. There are going to be some minor inspections for smaller parts before that (power button, LED strips, tempered glass, etc), but all CNC/Sheet metal and Extrusion parts will be checked together right before we ship.
 
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For_Science

Master of Cramming
Feb 16, 2018
446
612
Shortly before loading & shipment, since the cases will be fully assembled during final inspection. There are going to be some minor inspections for smaller parts before that (power button, LED strips, tempered glass, etc), but all CNC/Sheet metal and Extrusion parts will be checked together right before we ship.
Oh okay, so at the end of the manufacturing there is non-zero chance that “oh crap, they aren’t up to scratch” may happen and the whole batch has to be redone, incurring another big delay.

so has the manufacturing of the extruded chassis already started? Sounds like you already have a fixed factory and since there aren’t going to be any checks until it’s all done, is there anything stopping you from starting already?
 

AlexTzone

I design minimalistic – but not boring – PC stuff
Original poster
THOR ZONE
Silver Supporter
Sep 23, 2017
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Oh okay, so at the end of the manufacturing there is non-zero chance that “oh crap, they aren’t up to scratch” may happen and the whole batch has to be redone, incurring another big delay.

so has the manufacturing of the extruded chassis already started? Sounds like you already have a fixed factory and since there aren’t going to be any checks until it’s all done, is there anything stopping you from starting already?

There's always a non-zero chance; however, it's would be most painful to the factory since they will have lost both the deposit and the balance payment, so it's definitely in their best interest to do a good job ?

It has not started just yet, but we're getting there :) Since CNC and Extrusions have to be made at the same time (ensure same batch material and anodizing baths), as well as assembly of all components, we need to put it all under the same order. Since we're going to put it under the same order everything must be super clear (technical drawings and assembly instructions) and protected (NNN, manufacturing and mold-ownership contracts in Chinese) otherwise we run into the risk of losing the deposit (in case of bad quality) or the factory leaking/selling some of our MJOLNIRs themselves.

All this considered, I definitely believe the factory will do a great job (as they have done with the samples) ? As of right now I'm finalizing the assembly instructions while Denize is waiting for the Chinese manufacturing contracts, so we're getting really close. There will be some final price negotiations once everything is signed, but this usually doesn't take more than ~2 days.

I know all this sounds like a PITA, but it's done to avoid newb mistakes I've seen in a bunch of other manufacturing startups. 1000+ MJOLNIRs on the line ?
 

For_Science

Master of Cramming
Feb 16, 2018
446
612
A shower thought of the day: with the extrusion process is the interior finish going to be the same as the exterior? Does the sand-blasting (or whatever process) make it into the inside of the chassis shell? I don't think the finish of the inside of the case is that important, but I suppose parts of it may be visible through the window so thought I'd ask
 
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smallfx

Average Stuffer
Apr 20, 2020
56
105
@AlexTzone Reading the latest kickstarter updates, it sounds like you mentioned an "ETA of September"
Is this ETA when you expect the cases to be shipped out or when you expect final manufacturing to start?

For what's it's worth, I sent them an e-mail regarding a different question and they ended the e-mail with:
Can't wait to ship your case in approx. September!

Keep in mind, he says approximately, so that date has a chance of changing.
 

N9neBreak3r

Airflow Optimizer
Jul 17, 2020
349
468
Hey @AlexTzone just an idea, any way you could do weekly updates on the project? They could inform us of the state of the project, what was accomplished that week, what comes next and any set backs. I'd be interested in having these and it would clear up a lot of everyone's questions and concerns over when the project will ship. Even if there's nothing new to state, just knowing each week on a certain day we will get an update would be great!
 

AlexTzone

I design minimalistic – but not boring – PC stuff
Original poster
THOR ZONE
Silver Supporter
Sep 23, 2017
1,287
2,739
thor-zone.com
A shower thought of the day: with the extrusion process is the interior finish going to be the same as the exterior? Does the sand-blasting (or whatever process) make it into the inside of the chassis shell? I don't think the finish of the inside of the case is that important, but I suppose parts of it may be visible through the window so thought I'd ask

The blasting will reach all parts of the Shell (the panel cutouts are giant openings through which it's easy to bead blast the interior), so it will be pretty much uniform all over ?

@AlexTzone Reading the latest kickstarter updates, it sounds like you mentioned an "ETA of September"
Is this ETA when you expect the cases to be shipped out or when you expect final manufacturing to start?

We'll have a pretty solid shipping schedule once production is up and running. All manufacturing contracts are finished as of today and we're almost done with the assembly instructions. There's one more legality thing to take care of but it shouldn't take more than 3 business days. We should be up and running in 1-2 weeks ?

Hi, is there an indication for when the next pre-orders will be?

Some time after we've shipped all Kickstarter cases and pre-orders from June ?

Hey @AlexTzone just an idea, any way you could do weekly updates on the project? They could inform us of the state of the project, what was accomplished that week, what comes next and any set backs. I'd be interested in having these and it would clear up a lot of everyone's questions and concerns over when the project will ship. Even if there's nothing new to state, just knowing each week on a certain day we will get an update would be great!

I'll update you guys pretty much as soon as anything interesting happens ? In 1-2 weeks, once production starts, the updates will probably be a lot more frequent since we'll be getting daily updates from the factory.
 

Notional

Trash Compacter
Sep 5, 2019
45
54
I've complained about arbitrary 10 liter case size being too small and 2 slot GPU's being too little. I present you the NVidia RTX 3090... 3 slot, 10-12cm fans...
 

Sazexa

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jan 22, 2020
136
168
I've complained about arbitrary 10 liter case size being too small and 2 slot GPU's being too little. I present you the NVidia RTX 3090... 3 slot, 10-12cm fans...
If you're going to complain about the 3xxx line, and specifically this 3090 card, that's just a massive card. Also, I speculate the cooling won't be ideal in nearly ANY sandwhich layout case regardless. The fan on the back-side of the car is going to be rather starved of airflow.
 

N9neBreak3r

Airflow Optimizer
Jul 17, 2020
349
468
A board
I've complained about arbitrary 10 liter case size being too small and 2 slot GPU's being too little. I present you the NVidia RTX 3090... 3 slot, 10-12cm fans...
A board partner is gonna make a two slot 3090 with normal dual or tri axial fans, there's to big of a market demand for such a card not to do it. Im not worried.
 

uber_shnitz

Average Stuffer
Oct 14, 2019
72
88
Is everyone planning on using the 120mm AIO for the CPU? I saw OptimumTech's video where he used the AIO for the GPU and it looks really promising, but with the limited CPU cooler height I'm afraid any air cooling is a no-go for this case (even with V2 performance panels) on any mid-range CPU.
 

Sazexa

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jan 22, 2020
136
168
Is everyone planning on using the 120mm AIO for the CPU? I saw OptimumTech's video where he used the AIO for the GPU and it looks really promising, but with the limited CPU cooler height I'm afraid any air cooling is a no-go for this case (even with V2 performance panels) on any mid-range CPU.
You won't know until you try an air cooler. I'm going to give it a shot personally. If it doesn't work, I'll figure out what I'll do from there on out.

I think most people are planning to use a CLC for their CPU and just air-cooled GPU.
 

uber_shnitz

Average Stuffer
Oct 14, 2019
72
88
You won't know until you try an air cooler. I'm going to give it a shot personally. If it doesn't work, I'll figure out what I'll do from there on out.

I think most people are planning to use a CLC for their CPU and just air-cooled GPU.
Yeah that's the "recommended" build from Thorzone so I was planning on that too. The 51mm constraint limits air cooling (and even some AIO cooling) so this is probably the build that would work best, but was curious as to others' plans