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

[btree123]

I'd like to echo the above sentiment. I'm not completely saying you should be thankful that TZ didn't run away with your money, but it's already a million times better than 99% of KS campaigns that do.

Then you have the fact that going from 0 manufacturing knowledge, to mass producing a case that isn't rinky-dink quality on one KS + batch 1 one is frankly nothing short of a miracle, if you know how hard that stuff can be. If you bought into the KS thinking you'd get it like you would get the case from a shop you are mistaken.

We're in as much for this journey as Alex and co is. I watched the livestream a while back and asked a few Q's and the guy is obviously so genuine and caring about getting these cases out to us in perfect condition. It's sometimes painful to watch because I don't think it's worth engaging with some people who comment very negatively (to the point of it not being constructive criticism) but he replies pretty much every single comment and I think that speaks volumes.

So excited to get the case, thanks TZ. Keep it up.

 

[beerbuddha]

I would like to chime in also on that. Im not a KS backer but from batch 1 of June under the preorder. So far despite not being precise on the dates which is out of his control, TZ, been effective in communicating as much as possible. Could it have been way better (hence why i ask for timely updates to ease some unknown frustration), there are way worse backers in the industry plane right now. even grabbing a RTX 30X0 is improbable (or slim) but at least the case will come eventually.

It would have been a serious offence if it was in stock and didn't ship or shipped in shambles right?

Anyways hoping for those in asia who got their case can show a build, interested to see if I'm going to come close to what i expected when ordered since my parts are still sealed in the original box for the new comp.

again, thanks TZ for listening to everyone and answering everyone. You ain't amazon/walmart next day delivery and that's ok.

good job so far, everything from now will be uphill (hopefully)

 

[LeonM]

This is actually my first time buying anything from KS. Currently Im using an LZ7 case that can only support "mini" sized GPUs. I was planning to get the XTD upgrade but decided to get the Mjolnir instead. Was a bit disappointed that we didnt get the case last year, but I totally understand that its tough to get anything done during this pandemic. Hell, Im still trying to get a 3080. Im glad I was able to get a PS5 though.

Thanks to TZ, Im sure that the case is worth the long wait.

 

[AlexTzone]

That's a tad hyperbolic @J3EBS given the global state of materials sourcing, manufacturing slow-downs, and shipping/freight insanity due to a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. Custom niche projects, and particularly first-time products are often fraught with significant snags and delays in the best of years (just look at any other crowd sourced SFF chassis on this forum), when you compound that with the current state of the world, a year delay and some logistical retuning are honestly right up there with just about the best realistic outcome. That said, I understand your and others frustration, everyone wants what they feel like "they were promised" under better circumstances, and waiting with parts in hand, ready to assemble, can be an agonizing process, but it sounds like @AlexTzone is actively working on a shipping solution and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Yeah, if you’ve never been involved in a “group buy” type of product purchase, this is how they always are. Unless you’re buying an “in-stock” product, you should expect delays. Pair that with a global pandemic, and yeah, delays are obvious.
I think Alex is doing a fine job of communicating stuff, it’s actually quite impressive how much time he takes out of his day to update us here almost every day.

Awesome news on the shipping contract! Looking forward to seeing cases hit customers’ hands I’m eager for batch 2… woohoo.

I made an account just to say thanks to @AlexTzone for being able to deal with all the negativity + and sarcasm (esp from Mujeeb on the KS community).
COVID is a thing, shipping delays are a thing. I'm just looking forward to receiving the case as soon as possible!

My rig has been sitting on a test bench for over 1.5 years LOL what's another month or so to wait for this awesome case

Thanks again Alex for working on this and for handling people's negativity with patience and respect.

I'd like to echo the above sentiment. I'm not completely saying you should be thankful that TZ didn't run away with your money, but it's already a million times better than 99% of KS campaigns that do.

Then you have the fact that going from 0 manufacturing knowledge, to mass producing a case that isn't rinky-dink quality on one KS + batch 1 one is frankly nothing short of a miracle, if you know how hard that stuff can be. If you bought into the KS thinking you'd get it like you would get the case from a shop you are mistaken.

We're in as much for this journey as Alex and co is. I watched the livestream a while back and asked a few Q's and the guy is obviously so genuine and caring about getting these cases out to us in perfect condition. It's sometimes painful to watch because I don't think it's worth engaging with some people who comment very negatively (to the point of it not being constructive criticism) but he replies pretty much every single comment and I think that speaks volumes.

So excited to get the case, thanks TZ. Keep it up.

I would like to chime in also on that. Im not a KS backer but from batch 1 of June under the preorder. So far despite not being precise on the dates which is out of his control, TZ, been effective in communicating as much as possible. Could it have been way better (hence why i ask for timely updates to ease some unknown frustration), there are way worse backers in the industry plane right now. even grabbing a RTX 30X0 is improbable (or slim) but at least the case will come eventually.

It would have been a serious offence if it was in stock and didn't ship or shipped in shambles right?

Anyways hoping for those in asia who got their case can show a build, interested to see if I'm going to come close to what i expected when ordered since my parts are still sealed in the original box for the new comp.

again, thanks TZ for listening to everyone and answering everyone. You ain't amazon/walmart next day delivery and that's ok.

good job so far, everything from now will be uphill (hopefully)

This is actually my first time buying anything from KS. Currently Im using an LZ7 case that can only support "mini" sized GPUs. I was planning to get the XTD upgrade but decided to get the Mjolnir instead. Was a bit disappointed that we didnt get the case last year, but I totally understand that its tough to get anything done during this pandemic. Hell, Im still trying to get a 3080. Im glad I was able to get a PS5 though.

Thanks to TZ, Im sure that the case is worth the long wait.

Wow this made my day / week / month / year, I can’t say how much that meant to me! I’m not even sure I deserve such kind words, but I truly thank you guys for them. We couldn’t have done it without you either (everyone on this thread), it’s been one heck of a team work and although this has been one of the most hectic times in my life — it sure has been the best one too! Now I can’t wait to ship all your cases so we can finally see what you guys make of them

Also, @J3EBS has played an important role in this as well! He’s a great monitoring/regulatory force that’s kept us from falling into analysis paralysis (especially during COVID, a very easy time to fall into such state, since the virus is a scapegoat for virtually any problems startups have today). I don’t think I’ve seen the guy once being “hateful” or angry without a pretty good reason.

 

[Revenant]

Hmmm. I checked out the Thor Zone website and it says pre-orders are going active next week. That true?

If so, I might just have to pick one up to add to my obsesss....collection.

 

[N9neBreak3r]

Just saw the tweet you put out @AlexTzone showing the dark panels getting their magnets. So happy dark is finally getting assembled! I have something super special planned for mine; full custom loop with 2x pumps, 3x 240mm radiators, EKWB 3080 FE special edition block in black, hard tubing and alphacool aurora Argb rings for all the tubes! How am I going to fit a loop with 3x 240mm radiators in Mjolnir? Stay tuned... (I'm dead serious I already bought all the parts and drew up plans, its happening!)

 

[AlexTzone]

Hmmm. I checked out the Thor Zone website and it says pre-orders are going active next week. That true?

If so, I might just have to pick one up to add to my obsesss....collection.

Yeaaah that's right, launching next week (we'll send out an email with exact time)! Batch 2 is going into production now (extrusion factory first) and this pre-order is going to be a part of that

Just saw the tweet you put out @AlexTzone showing the dark panels getting their magnets. So happy dark is finally getting assembled! I have something super special planned for mine; full custom loop with 2x pumps, 3x 240mm radiators, EKWB 3080 FE special edition block in black, hard tubing and alphacool aurora Argb rings for all the tubes! How am I going to fit a loop with 3x 240mm radiators in Mjolnir? Stay tuned... (I'm dead serious I already bought all the parts and drew up plans, its happening!)

Awesome to FINALLY see them going in to assembly! Hahaha I have absolutely no idea how you're going to squeeze THREE 240 rads on there, but I sure am looking forward to see it!! Well technically, since the panels are removable on all sides), the max CPU cooler height (or space for a rad) is the distance between your motherboard and the wall closest to it

 

[RastaMouette]

Hi @AlexTzone, Thank you for the awesome work you did so far. Just created an account to tell you that, despites all the negative comments, I'm impressed you kept being friendly to everyone here and on kickstarter. Communication was really good on your side ! Launching a product during a global pandemic is surely not something easy. I'm sure predictions of dates will be much better for futures batchs. Can't wait for you to ship to Europe, good thing is that we will probably have a lot of people in the US receiving and testing their hardware before us and giving feedback on temps etc...
Greetings from France !

 

[BAS1C]

Hey @AlexTzone, will there be any more slots for preorder of batch 2? A friend of mine wants to get in!

 

[Phaerim]

I did quiet a lot of different kickstarter but this one is by far the most exciting and intresting one to follow, @AlexTzone faced all negative and positive comments and did his best to even become a better business manager. Most of us are aware of the many difficulties the world face but you still try to make your best to take responsability of good communication with delivery company and the factory. Even if the wait is killing me for my Dark Mjolnir (and my components on my open bench are also waiting) i am really pleased to be part of the adventure and to follow each day how the project is going on. I am also pleased to follow how Alex is doing his best to build long lasting agreement to build a healthy business for the future batch / projects. Continue like this for the future and be proud of your project that has a really good design, marketing, industrial plan and (we will see) final product.

LAST SPRINT FOR THE MJOLNIR FOLKS, GET HYPED !

 

[ARC1T3CT]

This is a question to answer for me on Friday, because by that time I’ll have a lot more information. Today we have a LOT of semi-final deals that could work.

Aaaaand now the contract's signed!

Any news regarding shipping to Europe? Will you be sending via DHL?

 

[For_Science]

So if they started packing dark cases, does this mean steel is finished?

 

[Revenant]

Alex,

I skimmed the live stream you did 2 months ago. What were the specs of your system? How are the thermals and noise during gaming and under heavy load?

I’m considering two different setups for the case: one with simple air cooling for my HTPC Game System, and one with a 120mm AIO for my main rig. The HTPC would have a Ryzen 5800X, and the main would be 5950X. Both would have 3080 or above class GPUs.

 

[AlexTzone]

Hi @AlexTzone, Thank you for the awesome work you did so far. Just created an account to tell you that, despites all the negative comments, I'm impressed you kept being friendly to everyone here and on kickstarter. Communication was really good on your side ! Launching a product during a global pandemic is surely not something easy. I'm sure predictions of dates will be much better for futures batchs. Can't wait for you to ship to Europe, good thing is that we will probably have a lot of people in the US receiving and testing their hardware before us and giving feedback on temps etc...
Greetings from France !

I did quiet a lot of different kickstarter but this one is by far the most exciting and intresting one to follow, @AlexTzone faced all negative and positive comments and did his best to even become a better business manager. Most of us are aware of the many difficulties the world face but you still try to make your best to take responsability of good communication with delivery company and the factory. Even if the wait is killing me for my Dark Mjolnir (and my components on my open bench are also waiting) i am really pleased to be part of the adventure and to follow each day how the project is going on. I am also pleased to follow how Alex is doing his best to build long lasting agreement to build a healthy business for the future batch / projects. Continue like this for the future and be proud of your project that has a really good design, marketing, industrial plan and (we will see) final product.

LAST SPRINT FOR THE MJOLNIR FOLKS, GET HYPED !

Really appreciate it guys, truly means so much to hear! We have learned A LOT from this journey and I can’t personally thank you enough for giving us the chance

Hey @AlexTzone, will there be any more slots for preorder of batch 2? A friend of mine wants to get in!

Yes next week!

Any news regarding shipping to Europe? Will you be sending via DHL?

We have solved many countries in EU but not all, but we’re talking with UPS all the time to fix the rest. We’re not using DHL, they blew us completely out of the water (they wanted >$100k for shipping all units ). UPS is a lot more reasonable.

So if they started packing dark cases, does this mean steel is finished?

Dark has started assembly, not started packing yet. I just checked the conversation log with the factory and it took 10 days from the first time they said panel assembly started till they showed me the first 30 packed units (Stealth). Now it’s holiday in China until the 5:th, but I’m counting with similar progress for Dark once they’re back.

Steel parts have finished anodizing and are awaiting assembly.

Alex,

I skimmed the live stream you did 2 months ago. What were the specs of your system? How are the thermals and noise during gaming and under heavy load?

I’m considering two different setups for the case: one with simple air cooling for my HTPC Game System, and one with a 120mm AIO for my main rig. The HTPC would have a Ryzen 5800X, and the main would be 5950X. Both would have 3080 or above class GPUs.

My current rig is:
- Case: MJOLNIR R + Flipped Layout / Performance Panels / Booster Cell
- GPU: RTX 2070 ASUS Turbo
- CPU: 5900X
- MOBO: Strix X570-i
- PSU: Sf600
- Cooler: basically Corsair H55 (THOR ZONE edition)
- Cooler fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 (Intake)
- Mobo fan: Noctua NF-A12x15 (Intake)
- Booster Cell fan: Slim SilverStone 120 fan w. white blades

The biggest noise contributors are as follows (strongest noise first): Silverstone fan, GPU fan, slim Noctua fan, CPU cooler, internal motherboard fan (built into the Strix X570-i) and last the PSU fan (I’ve only seen it spin up when using an RTX 3090). Basically the rig is really quite if I get a better GPU and Booster Cell fan.

Under synthetic load (Prime95 Small FFTs max heat) and full speed on the AIO pump & Noctua A12x25 the temps reach equilibrium around 60-61°C. This can be improved ~2-3°C by adding a second O2 panel. GPU thermals are not really affected by being inside the case (at least not mine). Furthermore, the rig is considerably more quite when doing normal heavy-load stuff like gaming.

I don’t think the 5950X is going to be any different, as far as I understand it they (5950X / 5900X) are roughly the same wattage?

 

[For_Science]

Really appreciate it guys, truly means so much to hear! We have learned A LOT from this journey and I can’t personally thank you enough for giving us the chance



Yes next week!



We have solved many countries in EU but not all, but we’re talking with UPS all the time to fix the rest. We’re not using DHL, they blew us completely out of the water (they wanted >$100k for shipping all units ). UPS is a lot more reasonable.



Dark has started assembly, not started packing yet. I just checked the conversation log with the factory and it took 10 days from the first time they said panel assembly started till they showed me the first 30 packed units (Stealth). Now it’s holiday in China until the 5:th, but I’m counting with similar progress for Dark once they’re back.

Steel parts have finished anodizing and are awaiting assembly.



My current rig is:
- Case: MJOLNIR R + Flipped Layout / Performance Panels / Booster Cell
- GPU: RTX 2070 ASUS Turbo
- CPU: 5900X
- MOBO: Strix X570-i
- PSU: Sf600
- Cooler: basically Corsair H55 (THOR ZONE edition)
- Cooler fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 (Intake)
- Mobo fan: Noctua NF-A12x15 (Intake)
- Booster Cell fan: Slim SilverStone 120 fan w. white blades

The biggest noise contributors are as follows (strongest noise first): Silverstone fan, GPU fan, slim Noctua fan, CPU cooler, internal motherboard fan (built into the Strix X570-i) and last the PSU fan (I’ve only seen it spin up when using an RTX 3090). Basically the rig is really quite if I get a better GPU and Booster Cell fan.

Under synthetic load (Prime95 Small FFTs max heat) and full speed on the AIO pump & Noctua A12x25 the temps reach equilibrium around 60-61°C. This can be improved ~2-3°C by adding a second O2 panel. GPU thermals are not really affected by being inside the case (at least not mine). Furthermore, the rig is considerably more quite when doing normal heavy-load stuff like gaming.

I don’t think the 5950X is going to be any different, as far as I understand it they (5950X / 5900X) are roughly the same wattage?

What are the difference between using the booster cell and not for CPU/GPU temps?

 

[N9neBreak3r]

Dark has started assembly, not started packing yet. I just checked the conversation log with the factory and it took 10 days from the first time they said panel assembly started till they showed me the first 30 packed units (Stealth). Now it’s holiday in China until the 5:th, but I’m counting with similar progress for Dark once they’re back.

Steel parts have finished anodizing and are awaiting assembly.

Are dark cases going to ship as soon as they are finished? Or are they going to have to wait till steel is finished to be shipped and both get shipped at the same time? Personally, I think the approach you took with stealth, where as soon as a full color is done packed and ready you ship, is the best approach. It'd be great if dark got shipped as soon as all dark are ready, instead of having to wait for steel to be done too.

 

[N9neBreak3r]

Yes next week!

Will I be able to purchase extra panels, LED strips, O2 panels and tempered glass panels during next week's orders?

 

[beerbuddha]

So @AlexTzone
I thought you've mentioned Friday you would have update for shipping, or are you pushing it to the weekly Monday shipping update?

 

[Dinward]

Hi @AlexTzone and everyone

I've been interested in building a PC to replace my current tower for several months now! An old Mac Pro from 2008 that still gives me full satisfaction in 2021 but unfortunately I'm starting to feel the limit of Intel Xeons. When I discovered MJOLNIR I was immediately in love with the concept. I once exchanged email with Alex about the shipping costs and taxes to France. I also saw that the pre-orders were starting next week, but I also read all the concerns people have about shipping delays. I would like to have some clarification on this subject. Maybe you already mentioned it so excuse me if I missed this answer. If I pre-order next week a MJOLNIR (dark version). How long before a possible shipment? Several months ? years ..?

Antoine

 

[AlexTzone]

What are the difference between using the booster cell and not for CPU/GPU temps?

The effect seems to be more subtle (same type of subtle as having a fan underneath the PSU) and we'll need to run a bit more detailed tests to pinpoint exactly what happens. Thermals seem to take longer to reach roughly the same equilibrium with having BC on compared to off. We'll have all that in the next thermals doc.

Are dark cases going to ship as soon as they are finished? Or are they going to have to wait till steel is finished to be shipped and both get shipped at the same time? Personally, I think the approach you took with stealth, where as soon as a full color is done packed and ready you ship, is the best approach. It'd be great if dark got shipped as soon as all dark are ready, instead of having to wait for steel to be done too.

Yes that's the idea, it also helps us keep track of the cases and avoid mixing them up

Will I be able to purchase extra panels, LED strips, O2 panels and tempered glass panels during next week's orders?

Yes we'll offer basically those exact addons you mentioned
- Booster Cell
- LED package/Godrays
- O2 panel
- 2x Panel sets (i.e. we check what panels you already have and add what you don't have, so for somebody with Performance panels we'll also add Tempered glass panels and vice versa)

So @AlexTzone
I thought you've mentioned Friday you would have update for shipping, or are you pushing it to the weekly Monday shipping update?

I've basically already told you guys all I have, i.e. the big regions are solved and we're working on finishing up the smaller ones. When the big ones get shipped out we'll have solved the smaller ones Feel free to ask me for updates here whenever you want and I'll ASAP answer when dropping by the forum. It feels a lot easier than keeping a schedule, since there's so much shipping stuff to do right now, hope it's okay.

Hi @AlexTzone and everyone

I've been interested in building a PC to replace my current tower for several months now! An old Mac Pro from 2008 that still gives me full satisfaction in 2021 but unfortunately I'm starting to feel the limit of Intel Xeons. When I discovered MJOLNIR I was immediately in love with the concept. I once exchanged email with Alex about the shipping costs and taxes to France. I also saw that the pre-orders were starting next week, but I also read all the concerns people have about shipping delays. I would like to have some clarification on this subject. Maybe you already mentioned it so excuse me if I missed this answer. If I pre-order next week a MJOLNIR (dark version). How long before a possible shipment? Several months ? years ..?

Antoine

The reasons behind the big (1 year) Kickstarter shipping delay are:

• Had to find 9 great factories & sample their quality a bunch of times.
• Finish all molds and tooling
• Do a pre-production run and test assembly, tolerances + fix a bunch of stuff
• Chinese new year (factories are closed during this period)
• Assembly and packaging, especially for Dark, which took longer than expected.
• Covid. Rather than starting sampling/pre-production in mid-January we pushed almost 6 months due to the China lockdown. More recently, Covid required us to re-negotiate all previous freight deals (vastly more expensive).

That said, now the whole structure around MJOLNIR is complete and creating a new batch is very straight forward. I estimate the second part of Batch 2 (the one opening up next week) to be complete by August