Ultimate OSMI

[fminus]

I got Noctua fans to fit only if the rubber corners are taken off. Otherwise, only 3 of the 4 corners can be screwed on. Try take off all or just two of them, like mine... By the way, those Corsair ML140 is noisy even at lowest speed. FYI.

Ah, that was the issue that I had. I could not get all four screws in. The BeQuiet Silent Wings is doing a good job, but it is making an odd noise. I might switch it out for the Silent Wings 3 that are coming out in a few weeks or try again with the Noctua.

I agree but I would blame it on the manufacturer. As far as I know and probably for anyone who wants to deal with HG Computers...

This. I think most of the problems/frustration I had was with the manufacturer involved.

Looks good, was the base and shell made as a one-off for you by HGs manufacturer or did you get them someplace else?

I know they offer a black shell. Can't comment on the base though.

 

[iFreilicht]

I think most of the problems/frustration I had was with the manufacturer involved.

Can you explain why you'd even have to deal with the manufacturer in the first place? I'd imagine that if you want to buy an OSMI you just order it and it will arrive on your door (or at customs) after a time.

 

[fminus]

Can you explain why you'd even have to deal with the manufacturer in the first place? I'd imagine that if you want to buy an OSMI you just order it and it will arrive on your door (or at customs) after a time.

It was in relation of the status of my case. I placed my order on July 1 (A Friday) and received an email saying it would be dispatched that day. On the 4th I emailed asking for a tracking number. I received an email back two days later on the 6th stating:

I don't have access to tracking numbers, as guys in Berlin, who take care of shipping are on holiday. But I can confirm your Osmi shipped last Friday by DHL.

Alright. That's cool. Should come. So I wait. And wait. July 11. I send an email asking for a tracking number. No response. July 12 I send another email asking about my order. I get the following reply:

Unfortunatelly there was a small misunderstanding regarding the shipping for your case.
It will leave our office from Berlin Germany tomorrow in the morning with DHL.

Im very sorry for the confusion. I will send you a tracking number at 12.00 o clock german time .

Ok. That sucks. But according the HG, the case will ship out the 13th. So I email and ask since there was a misunderstanding if there was some way he could add expedited delivery for the hassle that this has caused me. I say hassle because I timed my vacation with the delivery of the case so I would have time to work on it. Anyway, no response in regards to that request for expedited shipping.

12.00 German time rolls around. No tracking number. So I email at 13.30 and ask about that tracking number...again. I finally get an email back! Yay! I get a tracking number!! But wait...the tracking number doesn't show the item being shipped. Just the tracking number was created. FML. Case finally gets picks up to be shipped out on the 14th. Of course it doesn't arrive by Friday. And now I have to wait until Monday for the package to be delivered. Another week wasted. "Shipped" July 1. Arrived at my place July 19.

It seems that all the problems I encountered stemmed from communication between HG and their manufacturers in Germany. Pete from HG isn't the best at responding to emails in a timely manner. Shit, I sent him an email three days ago with no response. Oh well.

 

[iFreilicht]

That all sounds a bit strange, it's really hard to tell who's actually at fault there. Fact is, your case was shipped two weeks later than it was claimed, so even if it wasn't HGs fault, they should look into searching for a different manufacturer.

 

[OnlyOnly0613]

communication between HG and their manufacturers in Germany

My story was much more bizarre than fminus.

May 10 = I inquired about the OSMI. Promised to ship within 2-3 weeks
May 12 = Paid for a black OSMI with no logo.
May 21 = I was notified a 3-day delay from the manufacturer by Peter.
May 25 = Reuested a status update
May 26 = Peter said they will start shipping the first case that week from the order it was received.
May 31 = The supplier for the power button bailed on him. Another week delay. I told them immediately ship it w/o the button.
June 5 = Peter still haven't heard back from the manufacture regarding my request.
June 6 = Peter told me the situation and some pre-orders are from 6 months ago. WOW!
June 10 = Requested another update.
June 15 = Refer me to contact the manufacturer directly.
June 17 = The "manufacturer" sent me a tracking AND TOLD ME it was sent.
June 20 = The product is actually tendered at DHL.
July 1 = Arrived but with issues...
July 25 = Still back and forth sorting out the issues.

Peter is willing to work with me all along the process to ease the pain. It was through FB messenger all the time. But in the other hand, the "manufacturer" with that info.at.hg email address is not good at responding at all. I was told by the "manufacturer" if I didn't introduce new ideas, things will go along smoothly.

I paid to powdercoat the shell again locally as I'm tired going to them back and forth. I requested the case without their logo. They slapped it on anyways with superglue and pried it off later, then shipped it to me so there is irreversible damage to the coating already from the superglue. There's a whole lot more "issues" that I don't know who is liable for it. In the end, I handled it myself.

In the end, I went locally to powdercoat the base to red. The shell redone in piano black. All done in 5 hours. $240 USD for a case, 2 months of frustration, $140 for local work. Argh... Sorry fminus for hijacking. Got to vent out the frustration.

 

[fminus]

Sorry fminus for hijacking. Got to vent out the frustration.

Hah. No worries. I know exactly how you feel and I am happy that I wasn't the only one who experienced this.

 

[fminus]

A small update, I received my SFX PSU bracket from The Laser Hive. These guys are AWESOME! I sent them an email with a sample design and a link to the HDPLEX and they made it no problem! Turned out perfect.

Threw it in the OSMI and everything aligned no problem. Used the flat hex screws that came with the osmi and secured it with a bolt in the back.

Case is nearly done! Just waiting for a dual slot SFX GPU in the mail and it will be all good. As you can see, the case doesn't have much mercy for single slot GPU's :/

 

[Phuncz]

I've been in contact with The Laser Hive too in the past for my Mac Pro project. It was a very good experience, I'm glad people like him (or them) are part of the world, like so many people here

It's looking good, but that GPU is crying so hard I can hear it through my speakers

 

[Soul_Est]

Looking good there, @fminus !

 

[iFreilicht]

The SFX-patch turned out amazing, looks very good.

As you can see, the case doesn't have much mercy for single slot GPU's :/

Quick fix: Thread a cable-tie through the unused VGA cutout and the lowest vent and pull it tight. That way the GPU will be lifted up into the position it should be in.

 

[fminus]

Well..finally threw a "proper" GPU in while I wait for a proper RX 460 to come out.
Looks alot nicer.

And in typical HG Osmi behavior...the dual bracket GPU did not fit! It seems the PCI bracket holes and the PCI Bracket slot itself does not align. I even tried with the included PCI Bracket cover and had the same problem. Had to take the dremel to the GPU PCI bracket to make them a bit skinnier so it would slide into the mounting holes.

 

[iFreilicht]

And in typical HG Osmi behavior...the dual bracket GPU did not fit! It seems the PCI bracket holes and the PCI Bracket slot itself does not align. I even tried with the included PCI Bracket cover and had the same problem. Had to take the dremel to the GPU PCI bracket to make them a bit skinnier so it would slide into the mounting holes.

As expected. Too bad they didn't fix that yet.

 

[fminus]

To anyone interested. I picked up an MSI RX 460 4G OC and that fit fine. Unfortunately it was too loud for my taste. (This could be due to the hackintosh I am running it in). Regardless... I ripped off the plastic shroud and fan and attached a Noctual 92mm 14mm fan. The fan holes lined up with near perfection on the existing heatsink. Set up the fan speed at a constant 600rpm and now it runs dead quiet.

So anyone who is interested in the card... it fits with or without the plastic shroud.

 

[fminus]

Last update! One thing with the OSMI is lack of a memory card reader. While an SD card technically would fit inside the CD ROM slot, I also deal with CF Cards at times. I managed to get around this by purchasing a Sandisk ImageMate All in One USB3. It's white, and matches the color of my OSMI. I placed it in the gap between the base of the PC and the stand, and secured it via two existing screw holes. Fits perfect, super secure, and now looks seamless.

 

[iFreilicht]

Sweet, got any pictures of that setup?

 

[fminus]

So here is a shot from the front:

And a detailed shot

And a new shot from the inside:

A little bit more messy, I know. The card reader wedges in between the two screws, and sits there pretty secure. I have been using it pretty reguarly this week and it hasn't moved. The USB cable from that goes in between the gap and out the back to plug into the motherboard in the back. In an ideal situation...i would run the usb cable through the bottom vent and plug it into the motherboard directly...but meh.

As for the inside updates...put a Noctua fan as exhaust on the top. Had to dremel the sides so it would fit. The MSI 460 4GB OC...as I said before, ripped off the plastic shroud and threw a thin Noctua fan on. All Noctua fans with a silent profile creates a machine that is *dead* silent.

This machine is a hackintosh, and it works flawless so far. I can't complain.

 

[iFreilicht]

That's a great setup! Too bad the white on the reader is a little different from the white of the shell, but other than that, it looks very good.

 

[Phuncz]

A matte black look whould have been preffered to blend in with the rest of the case but this is a nice solution nonetheless, especially considering the strict sizes you needed.

 

[TinyAudio]

The HG OSMI is on my list as a possible case for a passive build. I wouldn't be using a dGPU so the air flow would not be impeded.

I would look to order the case via Scan in the UK, but I had a quick look at the HG website when you referenced the ver2.0 case.

They have a prototype water-cooling case listed, it doesn't yet have its own product page.

https://hg-computers.eu/products/

 

[fminus]

@TinyAudio As far as I know, they water cooled case is a prototype and not available for sale. In regards to your passive build. Completely plausible. Follow a setup similar to this, throw a fan on the bottom, add a pico psu and you are good to go.