Completed SLATE-CASE AQ >>Status Update - Finalizing Order Fulfillments!

TaylorChiller

Super Magical Detailer
Original poster
Oct 10, 2019
284
872
what mobo size will this case support ? is it itx only or would you consider mdtx
In the latest upcoming design it could :) I am curious though, what do you feel is a motivating factor for someone to go mDTX vs mITX? (I have my ideas but I'd like to hear others too)
 

Retrias

Cable-Tie Ninja
Sep 28, 2018
157
77
If anything my reason is a bit selfish, I have bought the crosshair impact and would like to continue using this board, it have several feature that I feel cant be replaced by its near cousin the X570i
1. it have two more PWM out so that I can tune different purpose fans better rather than most mini ITX one fan PWM out, or use fans like the noctua IPPC that wont work on the NZXT x52 splitter
2. both of its m.2 slot is in the front on a daughter board, so all I would need to upgrade BOTH of my m2 when the time comes , is to plug out the daughterboard , replace those m2 and plunk those in , all without having to disassemble the PC
3. I liked the placement of the cpu power better, if there is anything touching a nerve, its the placement of 8 pin cpu power in most boards, hidden in the backside near the io, hard to take off without taking off the heatsink first

While I realize the reasoning can be applied to a mini itx that have its 8 pin power besides the 24 pin , have 3 pwm fans and have both m.2 slot in the front on a daughterboard, it doesnt exist, and this does. So mdtx it is
 

TaylorChiller

Super Magical Detailer
Original poster
Oct 10, 2019
284
872
If anything my reason is a bit selfish, I have bought the crosshair impact and would like to continue using this board, it have several feature that I feel cant be replaced by its near cousin the X570i
1. it have two more PWM out so that I can tune different purpose fans better rather than most mini ITX one fan PWM out, or use fans like the noctua IPPC that wont work on the NZXT x52 splitter
2. both of its m.2 slot is in the front on a daughter board, so all I would need to upgrade BOTH of my m2 when the time comes , is to plug out the daughterboard , replace those m2 and plunk those in , all without having to disassemble the PC
3. I liked the placement of the cpu power better, if there is anything touching a nerve, its the placement of 8 pin cpu power in most boards, hidden in the backside near the io, hard to take off without taking off the heatsink first

While I realize the reasoning can be applied to a mini itx that have its 8 pin power besides the 24 pin , have 3 pwm fans and have both m.2 slot in the front on a daughterboard, it doesnt exist, and this does. So mdtx it is
@Retrias , stay tuned! I'll be releasing more updates this week which should get you and many others even more exited. I'm been putting a lot of redesign into the interior construction so I can differentiate this product from many other cases and satisfy more popular market requirements.
 

TaylorChiller

Super Magical Detailer
Original poster
Oct 10, 2019
284
872
In the past two weeks I realized that the internal design of the original case was not strong enough. Considering some of the feedback I've received, I went back to the drawing board and made some very significant changes to the overall experience and features of the case:

-two different size options (19.9L and 15.4L) @kazuma86
-added modular support for cooling
-new internal structure (CNC ALUMINIUM) @Max Fischer @JDragon
-rail system that increases access to component installation
-removed all exterior screws, only sleek part lines
-thinned out material thicknesses for lighter weight
-full glass panel edge to edge
-supports up to 60mm thick radiators (dual slim radiators with slim fans) @August
-support for mDTX motherboards, @Retrias @Vacceo

Considerations:
-hot swap socket for the mechanical power switch so people can choose their own switch still and not just the cap @Maniac @Walderstorn
-looking into offering a replaceable bed part so people have the option to choose a traditional component layout instead of dual chamber (similar to the NCASE)
-looking into moving the motherboard bracket to better support 2.7 slot gpus. This would reduce air cooling height by 8mm. @cldskt
-I'm also designing alternative front and back I\O plates that are interchangeable
-will also provide some images of a perforated aluminum panel in constrast to the glass
-the newer images show the older grill, however i'm and still giving the mesh grill equal weight
-I'll have more updates in the next couple weeks
If you guys are interested in this case and want to help me improve it and bring it to life, don't hesitate to recommend this thread to anyone else that is interested in this project. The more voice the better. Again thanks for the feedback!

BTW, EVERYONE my sincere apologies for being in and out on updating all of you with this project. I have had to focus on other matters in the past months. I know there have been a few of you I have missed replying to. Fortunately I have a lot more energy to focus on this computer now and we should be seeing a lot more progress!

PLEASE SEE START OF THREAD FOR ALL DETAILS AND UPDATED IMAGES
 
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NocelCrown

Cable Smoosher
Dec 31, 2019
9
7
Yes, I was literally just checking on updates on this today! I'm glad to see all the additional changes you've made to the case, as well as the fact that you'll be offering two different case sizes.

With that being said, I know a lot of places machining wise have MOQ in order to hit certain price points. Will the price range you were considering before be affected by offering two sizes?

And I'd love to see what you have for the interchangeable I/O plates. I'm hoping for USB C because of the convenience.
 
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Retrias

Cable-Tie Ninja
Sep 28, 2018
157
77
Thanks for the updates, another vote to the support for the 2.7/3 slot gpu, I see you are going for a riser based design, pls do get a riser thats compatible with the pcie gen 4 as I believe more and more motherboard would use it

Really happy with the mdtx addition
 
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Vacceo

Average Stuffer
Mar 17, 2020
76
49
I´m quite surprised that I helped you in any meaningful way, so... Thanks to you. ?

It could be interesting to play with a dtx and super slim dual rads (XSPC 23mm) or slim rads (30mm) with the slim noctua fans (15mm if I remember correctly). The VXT reservoirs from EK (I know, they´re expensive) could be a very interesting option to reduce noise.
 
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Vacceo

Average Stuffer
Mar 17, 2020
76
49
To add to Retrias argumentation, the DTX has a couple things that other ITX boards do not: capacity to use a monoblock (bitspower makes it) and a better sound card (i´m one of those rare users who despises headphones and uses an avr instead). All that said, I am planning a new rig by the end of the year since I´m not in a terrible hurry and I can wait for the new releases. That said, I´m quite sure that I´ll run an AMD cpu, a 4000 or a 3000 ryzen. It will be mounted on a crosshair hero (i´d need a different case) or in an impact (then this case would be the chosen one).

On top of that, I expect to place a Navi 2x or an RTX 30-something. The PSU will be any SFX that can run the whole rig, and SFX´s today are big enough to move the whole thing.

Here comes the cooling potential of this case. I intend to watercool the CPU, VRM and GPU. My to-go radiators are GTX or GTS rads from Hardware Labs but I´d be open to more options: XSPC for ultra slim rads or EK for a 45mm (not the best 280 radiator, to be honest). So my options for a DTX with the new changes are, if I´m not mistaken, a single GTX or a dual 240 ultra slim XSPC rads. Fans would be noctua, so it could be a 25mm depth (both for 120 and 140) or double 15 slims for the XSPC´s rads.

OK, so after the wall of text, what would you go for in this case?
 
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Retrias

Cable-Tie Ninja
Sep 28, 2018
157
77
I am honestly more conservative with the case, my plan if we are going by the render in the first page would be to fit a 240/280 aio into the back, I cant use a mdtx board if I use fans on the front right ? Would use something on the range of 2.5 or if it made it in a 2.7 slot gpu , for fans its obviously noctua. While I am interested in doing a custom loop, getting the parts here in my country is hard enough, I also swap components often enough for the custom loop to be more hindrance compared to the benefit it brings
 
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Vacceo

Average Stuffer
Mar 17, 2020
76
49
In my case, gaming aside, I do a lot of online work. That means lots and lots of hours in front of the screen so I need stability and silence. You can get both with a custom water loop and low rpm´s, but it is also good to get those fans and pump in rock and roll mode for some gaming too. That´s my logic for watercooling and well, if it´s going to be a full loop, might as well enjoy the look of it.

My initial idea would be going for a dual XSPC slim rads (20mm) and slim noctuas (15mm). My logic here goes that more surface are is better than deeper surface area. If I can fit those two rads and a FLT or VTX EK pump and reservoir, I´m golden. I may even get a bit headroom for overclocking...
 
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WiseGuyPlato

Minimal Tinkerer
New User
May 16, 2020
4
2
Maybe an "extravagant" idea, but is it possible to make the spine "slide" toward the side panel and flip it (probably this would involve splitting the spine into two parts)? Considering the bottom IO is not visible, you could just make a big cutout to accommodate both A4 and FP orientations. This way it can be changed from A4 to FP design easily, and taller air coolers could be installed. On the other side, i could be on LSD, so disregard this question if it seems far fetched.

By the way, the overall design is gorgeous. Keep up your motivation.
 
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Vacceo

Average Stuffer
Mar 17, 2020
76
49
I have been considering options for the build and I want to ask some questions about clearences, fitting and capacities. Let´s list the parts first:

-The mobo will be a miniDTX, the Crosshair VIII Impact to be precise. That said, since the backplate will be facing down the build and considering the fans pushing air out, will bottom airfow be an issue? I know cooling of the chipset and VRM´s with those two little fans is not an absolutely critical aspect, but good airflow on the bottom (the gap seems good enough, particularly with the front and back perforated or covered with mesh) can actually help even those users who prefeer a different mobo. On top of that, hooking cables (particularly long ones) could be an issue. Cooling the CPU should not be an issue due to the waterblock, but will the placement of the SO-DIM card for the nvme´s present an issue?

-I am looking at the EK VTX pump and reervoir combos for a vertical position. Another option is the EK FLT reservoirs with the angled brackets to attach to the radiator or fans. Will any of those two fit? Keep in mind the clearece for the fittings and tubes (even if you have to play with angled fittings).

-What PSU´s can the case take? SFX only or SFX-L too?

-For cooling, I´m leaning towards a combination of dual 240 xspc TX radiators with noctua slim fans for a total thicknes of 2x 35,5mm in radiator depth. Will the case be able to take that with a DTX board inside?

-Is there any built-in cable management solution or good old fasteners are fine enough?
 
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TaylorChiller

Super Magical Detailer
Original poster
Oct 10, 2019
284
872
Hey everyone,

Really exciting reading through your feedback. This week is busy for me at the moment and I have already started making design iterations based on what you've said. I'll be able to reply to everyone within the next couple days.

Thanks!
 

Tazpr

Master of Cramming
Aug 7, 2018
553
429
It's a stunning design - the consolidated IO is one of the neatest yet simplest additions to a vertically oriented chassis I've seen in some time.
I think the addition of a gigabit passthrough port here too would be welcome here too.

The perforated panels you mentionded for the sides - any renders of those? Do they match the front panels in that they contrast the top or would they be the same silver as the top and bottom pieces?
 
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thecatar

Efficiency Noob
Apr 30, 2020
5
4
The update looks absolutely stunning. I come on this site every few days to check for updates on this case :)

What are my options if I need two display ports/is it possible to have an option to add an additional dp in the back? I would love to be able to use at least two high refresh-rate/high-res monitors with this case.
 
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