Would love to see ATX support for the case. I don't care for watercooling, and since there are plenty of short decent atx powersupplies some even passive, that is something I really would like to see.Alright, so we've been busy over the weekend going through all of the comments on Instagram, Reddit, Emails, and here in this thread and here are some quick updates.
- ATX PSU support: The good news is that we were able to implement an optional ATX PSU bracket without changing much of the chassis. It would allow for up to 180mm long PSUs with 38mm clearance underneath for cables (though that's a tight fit, so we'd recommend sticking to shorter PSUs if possible) and up to 235mm long GPUs (total length with PCIe bracket at the end included in the measurement). The downside is that there was only one way to make it fit, which is at the front, parallel to the front plate. What this means is that there would be no room for 240mm/280mm radiators or front intake fans on the side bracket with this configuration. Given all that, would some of you still be interested in the ATX PSU bracket?
- Options for darker wood/all-aluminum versions: A couple of people have asked if we could offer dark wood or all metal front alternatives. At first, we figured sure why not. However, after giving it some thought, we came to the conclusion that it will be highly unrealistic that we can offer that many options right away, especially with the production quantities that we would be starting out with. We don't even know for sure if we can actually offer two different kinds of wood for the front panel right off the bat. But, what might be realistic is that we offer the aluminum front plate, powder-coated in the same colors as the exterior, as an optional accessory. Oh and just as a side note, we could also provide a cutting template for those that would like to make their own custom wood panel for the front.
Here's a quick render of what the all-aluminum version could look like:
What do you guys think?
- More flexibility for the front I/O (+ taller feet): Front I/O port options is a tricky subject. Of course, we would like to go as minimalistic as possible, however, including at least one port offers many benefits for a lot of users. Adding more than one port though adds additional cables that need to be routed, a higher cost to the end-user and a more cluttered look to the front of the case. Additionally, even though we personally like the idea of adding a front audio jack, we've had some bad experiences with these in the past as the quality seems to vary quite a bit and we would hate for this to happen to our case. So, at least for now, we've decided that a power button + one port in the front would make the most sense.
Our initial concept included a USB-C port at the front that was designed as a custom PCB in order to make it fit in that space. However, we totally understand that it would be frustrating for those that don't have the required motherboard header for it. So, we worked on a new front I/O that uses a standard cable for the USB-C port instead of the custom PCB solution. What this means is that we could offer both a USB 3.0 to USB-C and a USB 3.1 to USB-C cable for the front I/O (with one of those being an optional accessory). So the physical port at the front would be the same, but the plugs for the motherboard would allow for either header on the motherboard side. Of course, the speeds you'd get would be different, but at least you could still make use of that port in front. Making those cables fit though required a repositioning of the front I/O from the top left of the case to the bottom left and a vertical orientation vs. a horizontal one, which would look like this:
(This render also includes the addition of slightly taller feet than the ones we previously had. Slightly meaning 2mm taller. Yes, this sounds like it's nothing but we tried taller variations and to be quite honest, it just doesn't suit the design well at all. In case we do find a solution that works, then we'll post it here to get your feedback. Also, the feet are simply screwed on with a countersunk screw, so taller feet could be DIY'ed pretty easily if the current height simply doesn't work for someone.)
Here's a render of the chassis with old and new I/O side by side:
(Left: Previous front I/O; Right: New alternative)
The only thing that this new placement would change for the fit of the components would be that the cables for the SSD on the left would have to be routed through the top portion of the front panel (with the SSD orientation being upside down) as the cables do not fit in between the SSD and new front I/O module.
We're very interested to hear your thoughts on all this
In terms of wood, remember people can also stain themselves - it's extremely simple - if adding too many color options for wood ends up costing too much.
From what I've seen so far this looks really good and might replace my ncase m1.
