Glad to see the plan is coming along. It might be sacrilige to say, but increasing a bit of size to better the user experience is a good thing.
Yeah, if the riser gets pinched or is difficult to route/install under the motherboard (especially with rear-mounted m.2 slots or large cooler mounting plates) I think the breathing room for it is well worth it. I think it'll probably only become obvious with a prototype, though.
Off to the prototype factory.
RIP my budget.
RIP my budget.
Approximately how long until we see pics? ( I know it'll be a while but super excited!!
) around end of March?
Yes.Approximately how long until we see pics? ( I know it'll be a while but super excited!!
Takes about 2-3 weeks for prototype. And 1-2 weeks shipping.
Seems like I'll get it in 3 weeks. Fingers crossed that I got it right!
So.
What are your thoughts on anodized (S4M, Dancase) vs powder coat?
In general the powder coat I find to be more fingerprint resistant for dark colors, overall tougher. Matte looks very low key. Semimatte also looks pretty stealth, looks like a satin finish, half way between gloss and flat.
Anodized looks more premium. May be more prone to QC issues. Doesn't feel as nice handling it.
What are your thoughts on anodized (S4M, Dancase) vs powder coat?
In general the powder coat I find to be more fingerprint resistant for dark colors, overall tougher. Matte looks very low key. Semimatte also looks pretty stealth, looks like a satin finish, half way between gloss and flat.
Anodized looks more premium. May be more prone to QC issues. Doesn't feel as nice handling it.
Anodizing also has a more negative environmental impact, if that plays into the decision at all.
I do agree that a nice anodize looks very premium.
Edit: my understanding of anodization is based upon techniques of years past, looks like it's now seen as a more environmentally friendly method? Hrm.
I'm not an expert on it, but yes, anodized still overall has a more negative impact.
Powder coating you just bake the powder in an oven, and the excess can be used. The coating is also solid based, so waste is easier to manage.
Yeah the sites I read ano was environmentally friendly were ano shops and orgs, so pretty obviosuly they'd be singing their enviroconsciousness.
On the whole I can't imagine one way being a larger drain than the other.
You did previously mention issues of a white powder coat, right? What colors would you be seeking to produce?
I will be doing black, and a run of black and white.
If anodized, it'll be dark gray and light silver front. I still need to do a prototype with those colors to confirm it can be produced with good quality. I hope the second prototype will be 100% as these prototypes are expensive.
Powder coat looks alright, but I feel it looks less premium. I like aluminum anodized. But is there a price difference?
I agree, anodized can look more premium. Some things I learned about anodizing:
Pros:
- More premium/metallic appearance
- Parts don't really change in size
- Can be powder coated or painted
Cons:
- Parts can vary slightly in hue from one batch to another (tank/racks can only hold so many parts at once).
- Scratches and imperfections in metal are not hidden (your manufacturer may use plastic coated sheets of aluminum. Plastic is usually only on one side, so there will be scratches visible on the inside of the case. Scratches will be anodized however. The plastic needs to be removed by someone. If wrong plastic is used with laser, it can leave a residue which is a pain to remove)
- Silver anodizing is actually clear (no dye used).
- Etching step can effect appearance slightly, and how well panels match (more/less matte).
- Parts are racked differently than powder coated parts, and sometimes can't be racked the way you would like (to hide racking marks).
- Similar to powder coating, racking marks are silver (raw metal) because anywhere the rack touches the part is not anodized and dye doesn't penetrate.
- Racking doesn't seem to be as flexible as hanging for powder coating (probably depends on parts)
- Bead blasted finish not available/practical on thin sheet metal parts
- Edges on sheet metal parts can be very sharp, especially if laser cut with no secondary finishing process.
Some of these cons can be addressed. For example, if your manufacturer has an inline finisher that removes scratches by adding a hairline/brushed finish, softens the edges, and eliminates the need for plastic coated metal. One issue with this is that the inline finisher may not always produce a consistent finish.
From what I've seen from your photos, it looks like your powder coating quality is good. If that's the case, you might want to stick with powder coating. At arms length, I can have my black anodized L4, and my black powder coat L5 next to each other and not even be able to tell any difference. They are both black.
Thanks for your insight. It seems that anodized adds quite a number of QC issues. For low-runs, a small hit to quality hurts so I will probably be sticking to powder coating.
I think once you guys see the finish, you'll like it. Really gives the "stealth" name its meaning.
Looks like the prototype will be finished this week, and shipped in a couple days. I should get it within 2 weeks. I hope to do a reveal/build video with it. Show you some first impressions.
There will have to be a pre-order for this run to fund it. So hopefully, I'll get some real interest when the time comes to it.
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I'm actually looking forward to this case, my laptop is almost dead and I'll probably attempt an SFF build for the first time. How soon can we expect to get our hands on it?
Another interested buyer on board. Sweet!
I'm expecting 3 months to release if everything goes according to plan, pad 2-3 months for delays. I'm pretty good at meeting my timeline so far though!
I'm super stoked for this. My undervolted Vega draws about 150w, and I'm due to upgrade my cpu when 7nm Ryzens come out. 400W envelope allows for an awesome little rig.
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