Production Velka series cases for ultra compact and portable desktops

[Analogue Blacksheep]

It should work if the enclosure and cables fit into an 80 x 80 x 11 mm space. It would negatively affect cooling compared to having two fans, but that is something that is difficult to quantify.

I've just checked the measurements:
Adapter: 57mm x 47mm x 4mm*
Enclosure: 59mm x 48mm x 9.5mm

Would anyone with sata cables, know if it would fit in theory?

The Silverstone SST-CP13 sata cable might work?

*Edit - Turns out that the Sedna adapter in my previous post is too big for the enclsoure. This one from HeroNeo will fit.

 

[Knolly]

I am beyond sold on the Velka 3. Can't wait for production to start.

 

[sid21177]

@VELKASE Michael

Will the standoffs for the GPU PCI-e bracket be removable from the MB backplane ??
Will/can you offer a power button with a LED indicator (ring/dot) ??

I assume the case color in the render is gray

 

[VELKASE Michael]

@VELKASE Michael

Will the standoffs for the GPU PCI-e bracket be removable from the MB backplane ??
Will/can you offer a power button with a LED ring ??

I assume the case color in the render is gray

All standoffs are permanent and cannot be removed. This leaves 34 mm of space in case you need a number on that.

Power buttons with an LED will not be offered because they are larger than the ones currently used. You would need to use the case at least partially extended to use one of those.

 

[sid21177]

All standoffs are permanent and cannot be removed. This leaves 34 mm of space in case you need a number on that.

Ok, what is the spacing between them ??
Might get a custom L-bracket made which will mount to these and offer HDD mounts. That way I can utiize the upper area for fans in case direct mounting to the vent slots affects system thermals

Power buttons with an LED will not be offered because they are larger than the ones currently used. You would need to use the case at least partially extended to use one of those.

I'd need 16mm ones ??

What about a 1+1 header LED through a pinhole above/below ??
https://www.frozencpu.com/products/...w_11_Pin_Mobo_Header_Connector_LED-3T1-W.html

 

[Melthar]

Definitely curious to hear more on where the direction is going for the 7. Particularly if the following idea still applies:

"Keep graphics card clearance at 295 mm, make this case 20 mm wider, and give users the option to move the motherboard tray. One position provides enough space for a 70 mm tall CPU cooler and dual slot graphics card. The other provides enough space for a 50 mm tall CPU cooler and triple slot graphics card. This may also create enough space for the 3x 92 mm fan mounts to be replaced by 2x 120 mm fan mounts. New volume would be 7.9 liters."

 

[VELKASE Michael]

Ok, what is the spacing between them ??
Might get a custom L-bracket made which will mount to these and offer HDD mounts. That way I can utiize the upper area for fans in case direct mounting to the vent slots affects system thermals


I'd need 16mm ones ??

What about a 1+1 header LED through a pinhole above/below ??
https://www.frozencpu.com/products/...w_11_Pin_Mobo_Header_Connector_LED-3T1-W.html

Standoffs: 108 mm between the standoffs for the graphics card.

Button: Yes, 16 mm. Not sure whether there would be enough space for a separate LED mount near the button. There will already by plenty of thick wires from the power supply in that area.

Definitely curious to hear more on where the direction is going for the 7. Particularly if the following idea still applies:

"Keep graphics card clearance at 295 mm, make this case 20 mm wider, and give users the option to move the motherboard tray. One position provides enough space for a 70 mm tall CPU cooler and dual slot graphics card. The other provides enough space for a 50 mm tall CPU cooler and triple slot graphics card. This may also create enough space for the 3x 92 mm fan mounts to be replaced by 2x 120 mm fan mounts. New volume would be 7.9 liters."

It will have SFX PSU support and have the same back to back layout. Beyond that, I am not certain of the hardware compatibility.

 

[sid21177]

There will already by plenty of thick wires from the power supply in that area.

On this topic - will you be offering a 250W PSU as one of the bundled options ?? - I don't remember this being on your old order page
FSP250-60FAG comes to mind

 

[VELKASE Michael]

On this topic - will you be offering a 250W PSU as one of the bundled options ?? - I don't remember this being on your old order page
FSP250-60FAG comes to mind

There will be some 200-250W PSU option at some point, but the timing and pricing on that is not certain.

 

[QuantumBraced]

Out of curiosity, what is currently the most powerful single-slot ≤183mm graphics card that consumes outside the 25-75W range for the Velka 3 single-slot config? Is it the EVGA 1030?

 

[VELKASE Michael]

Out of curiosity, what is currently the most powerful single-slot ≤183mm graphics card that consumes outside the 25-75W range for the Velka 3 single-slot config? Is it the EVGA 1030?

For regular use, it would be some GT 1030 with GDDR5 memory. For using some professional applications, it would be a Quadro P400 or WX 2100.

I would imagine that you could get better performance with cards that fall into the 35-75 W power consumption range and get better performance compared to those options since that's what most people appear to opt for.

 

[QuantumBraced]

For regular use, it would be some GT 1030 with GDDR5 memory. For using some professional applications, it would be a Quadro P400 or WX 2100.

I would imagine that you could get better performance with cards that fall into the 35-75 W power consumption range and get better performance compared to those options since that's what most people appear to opt for.

I see, thank you. And what would the best card be in the 35-75W range?

 

[VELKASE Michael]

I see, thank you. And what would the best card be in the 35-75W range?

Sorry, just noticed that you are looking for a single slot card. The cards listed above are among the few options, so the best would be a GT 1030 or the 2400G APU.

There was also a slim XFX RX 460 that fit between the GT 1030 and GTX 1050 in terms of performance, but it can only be found on the used market now.

 

[QuantumBraced]

Sorry, just noticed that you are looking for a single slot card. The cards listed above are among the few options, so the best would be a GT 1030 or the 2400G APU.

There was also a slim XFX RX 460 that fit between the GT 1030 and GTX 1050 in terms of performance, but it can only be found on the used market now.

Thanks. I was only curious about the single slot option, otherwise I think myself and 95% of your customers will be going for the dual-slot. But it's great to have the flexibility if you want a workstation that doesn't need much graphical performance. With 57mm of clearance, you can cool even X299. Won't be quiet, but you can do Dynatron R15 + the full 25mm Noctua NF-A9, which should cool up to a 7900X. Or you can do LP53+NF-A9 for something like a 9900K. DIY solutions, but they'd work well.

 

[QuantumBraced]

Didn't mean to double post, but I just watched this... And it got me thinking about how competitive the Velka 3 is compared to something like the DeskMini GTX or other similarly sized/priced mini PCs. 3.9L vs 2.7L is not that big a difference and for the extra 1.2L you get full desktop graphics up to a 2070, ITX board support, and an internal PSU up to 500W. And you still get one 2.5" drive. That's pretty incredible when you think about it, why would anyone go for the DeskMini when they can get something like the Velka 3. It's cheaper, quieter, and better performing.

You could use this comparison in your marketing

 

[VELKASE Michael]

Didn't mean to double post, but I just watched this... And it got me thinking about how competitive the Velka 3 is compared to something like the DeskMini GTX or other similarly sized/priced mini PCs. 3.9L vs 2.7L is not that big a difference and for the extra 1.2L you get full desktop graphics up to a 2070, ITX board support, and an internal PSU up to 500W. And you still get one 2.5" drive. That's pretty incredible when you think about it, why would anyone go for the DeskMini when they can get something like the Velka 3. It's cheaper, quieter, and better performing.

You could use this comparison in your marketing

Thanks for the suggestion. It will be important to highlight its advantages over other cases in its size category.

The greatest challenge may be the notions of small fans being loud, small cases being hot, and needing to use a power supply rated for twice the required power.

 

[Taikatou]

I love this product and want to order it. I noticed the pre-production was April. Have I missed any notifications?

 

[Knolly]

Michael, will the first batch this month include the option to order with the modified PSU?

 

[VELKASE Michael]

I love this product and want to order it. I noticed the pre-production was April. Have I missed any notifications?

Notifications have not been sent out yet. If you have signed up for notifications, you will receive an email some time before the end of April detailing how the pre-production units are different from those described in this post and how to place an order.

Michael, will the first batch this month include the option to order with the modified PSU?

No, sorry. The first batch will be sold without power supplies.


On a related note, a disproportionate number of people have signed up for notifications, likely regarding Velka 3 availability. Priority will have to be given to those who are in the United States and those who wish to order additional items such as fans for the pre-production units this April.

Also, here are some photos of the pre-production set.

 

[QuantumBraced]

Thanks for the suggestion. It will be important to highlight its advantages over other cases in its size category.

The greatest challenge may be the notions of small fans being loud, small cases being hot, and needing to use a power supply rated for twice the required power.

Have you thought about including mounting points and a rear plate for HDPlex support in lieu of the FlexATX PSU for people who want to go low power with external bricks? That would definitely help with noise.