Production Velka series cases for ultra compact and portable desktops

Day VReamer

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jun 20, 2018
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Thanks for the update, pics look good, can't quite see whether that rear cutout in the pic is for a dual slot or single gpu, would you have to buy a slightly different part of the case if dual was needed?
 

Zephyraeon

Caliper Novice
Nov 15, 2018
33
24
Loving the new renders of the Velka 3, hoping international shipping won't be too high. The flexibility of the case is pretty cool. Would it be hard to add an option of having 2.5" drive brackets in the single slot GPU bay? So you could have say 4x 2.5" drives with an APU build. Not sure if I'd use that configuration myself but thought it would be an easy enough change to make.

Thanks for the update, pics look good, can't quite see whether that rear cutout in the pic is for a dual slot or single gpu, would you have to buy a slightly different part of the case if dual was needed?

It looks like the motherboard plate can be moved (and the description says that too), so getting the case should let you either have a 38mm CPU cooler and a dual slot GPU OR a 58mm cooler and a single slot GPU.
 

Day VReamer

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jun 20, 2018
143
145
www.youtube.com
Loving the new renders of the Velka 3, hoping international shipping won't be too high. The flexibility of the case is pretty cool. Would it be hard to add an option of having 2.5" drive brackets in the single slot GPU bay? So you could have say 4x 2.5" drives with an APU build. Not sure if I'd use that configuration myself but thought it would be an easy enough change to make.



It looks like the motherboard plate can be moved (and the description says that too), so getting the case should let you either have a 38mm CPU cooler and a dual slot GPU OR a 58mm cooler and a single slot GPU.
Yeah, I was just thinking that even with the motherboard tray moving, if the opening for the gpu is single slot, the gpu bracket won’t allow a dual gpu to be fitted? I now see though that there is a slight ‘slot’ which would allow the gpu bracket to sit
 
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VELKASE Michael

King of Cable Management
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VELKASE
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Oct 7, 2018
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Thanks for the update, pics look good, can't quite see whether that rear cutout in the pic is for a dual slot or single gpu, would you have to buy a slightly different part of the case if dual was needed?

No additional part would be necessary, although the back panel currently shown can be turned into two panels: one with two slots and one with one slot. This would not be viable at my current scale of production, but it may be in the future.
 

VELKASE Michael

King of Cable Management
Original poster
VELKASE
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Oct 7, 2018
742
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Loving the new renders of the Velka 3, hoping international shipping won't be too high. The flexibility of the case is pretty cool. Would it be hard to add an option of having 2.5" drive brackets in the single slot GPU bay? So you could have say 4x 2.5" drives with an APU build. Not sure if I'd use that configuration myself but thought it would be an easy enough change to make.

International shipping: likely to remain at 30 USD for 1-3 week shipping

2.5" drive brackets: It would not be a difficult addition to make, but it would introduce more expenses whether it be a feature found in every case or a customization option. These cases will likely be sold in a very small quantity, so I would rather 3D print such a drive bracket at request for the one person who needs it.
 
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Boganator

Chassis Packer
Sep 23, 2018
14
2
I've changed my mind and going to go with the Velka 3 when it comes out. I'm going to try the Enhance 7660b power supply as I've read that it is very quiet. Any rough idea on it's availability date? Next few months? This year?

Concerning the Velka M, is it compatible with the MSI GTX 1070 Aero ITX? It's 175mm long, so right at the maximum.

I really like the 3, M, and your stated specifications for the other numbered Velka cases. Awesome work, I really like your cases!
 

VELKASE Michael

King of Cable Management
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VELKASE
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Oct 7, 2018
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I've changed my mind and going to go with the Velka 3 when it comes out. I'm going to try the Enhance 7660b power supply as I've read that it is very quiet. Any rough idea on it's availability date? Next few months? This year?

Concerning the Velka M, is it compatible with the MSI GTX 1070 Aero ITX? It's 175mm long, so right at the maximum.

I really like the 3, M, and your stated specifications for the other numbered Velka cases. Awesome work, I really like your cases!

Thank you for the kind words.

Velka M is compatible with the MSI Aero GTX 1070.

The 3 will be available this year if it in practice and is received well. I cannot say when the final design will become available, but prototypes may be available for purchase within a few months. The details regarding that will be announced here and via email if you have chosen to be notified.
 

JCameronMorris

Minimal Tinkerer
Jan 17, 2019
4
0
Thank you for the kind words.

Velka M is compatible with the MSI Aero GTX 1070.

The 3 will be available this year if it in practice and is received well. I cannot say when the final design will become available, but prototypes may be available for purchase within a few months. The details regarding that will be announced here and via email if you have chosen to be notified.

I love your cases! They are brilliant!!! The question is the Velka 3, will it still have mesh or not? Are the case size smaller than M version?
 

VELKASE Michael

King of Cable Management
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VELKASE
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Oct 7, 2018
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I love your cases! They are brilliant!!! The question is the Velka 3, will it still have mesh or not? Are the case size smaller than M version?

Thank you.
It will most likely ship with both the mesh found on the Velka M and new aluminum panels. The user will get to decide whether they want to use the mesh or panels at any time, prioritizing either performance or appearance.

When used with mesh, it will be 10% smaller than the Velka M. When used with panels, it will be ever so slightly smaller than or the same size as the M.
 
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Jello

Airflow Optimizer
Nov 15, 2016
376
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@scatterforce @Aoq1 I have the 1070 version of the MSI itx card, and one important thing many users forget about is the ability to undervolt it. This is crucial in helping reduce the temperature and fan noise.
 

Damascus

Master of Cramming
Feb 27, 2018
550
387
@scatterforce @Aoq1 I have the 1070 version of the MSI itx card, and one important thing many users forget about is the ability to undervolt it. This is crucial in helping reduce the temperature and fan noise.
Might want to throw a better fan on as well. I run a gigabyte 1080 mini and with a slime 120mm noctua it's cool as a cucumber
 
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VELKASE Michael

King of Cable Management
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VELKASE
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Oct 7, 2018
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All remaining Velka M units were sold shortly after posting about the price reduction from $100 to $60 on Reddit, which was not anticipated. There are a few old prototypes in good condition that may be sold to any interested individuals.

With that being said, Velka 3 will have to be priced higher than the Velka M just was. It will, however, be more affordable than the M was in the beginning, which was $99.95 for the case and $40 for the riser. No estimated release date yet.
 

Boganator

Chassis Packer
Sep 23, 2018
14
2
I received my Velka M today and was very excited to move my current hardware over to it. The case was in good shape and was well packed with no shipping damage apparent. I began to follow the instructions but encountered an issue when I went to mount the motherboard to the middle panel. I had incorrectly assumed that the recommendation for a noctua l9i/a cpu cooler was so that the mesh sides could go on without touching the cpu cooler. I had planned on using my Cryorig C7 without the side mesh until I upgrade my build this summer. What I discovered is that the motherboard mounting mid panel is using shortened motherboard standoffs, which made my Cryorig C7 immediately incompatible with the case. There is no way to screw down the motherboard to the mid panel, as the backplate is thick and the screws can't reach. I looked at the Noctua L9i and noticed that it doesn't have a "backplate" it just uses screws. I then checked the Noctua L9A-am4, and saw that it has a backplate as well. Have you made sure that the Noctua L9A-Am4 works? One last thing, I noticed that some of the solder points/components come unbelievably close to touching the mid panel but I can't tell if they do actually touch. I did notice that the metal "prongs" used to secure the RAM slots, and other components, DO touch, but I don't think those are carrying any charge and so it won't matter.

Once I noticed that the standoffs are so short, I began to think of other possible issues that could be encountered in other builds. Most M.2 slots are on the back of motherboards, and most graphic cards come with backplates. It's a known issue that M.2 NVMe drives can thermal throttle without air flow, one way to mitigate this is to buy a heat sink to place on the NVMe drive. I don't think there will be enough room to do this, especially if the graphics card comes with a backplate.

At this point, I have to decide if I want to buy the current generation AMD cpu's so I can have my gaming computer back (I've already sold my current case) or wait until the next gen chips come out this summer, which means no gaming until then. One other option is to buy the Noctua l9i for my 4770k (not overclocked) even though it's not recommended as the cooling is insufficient.

I'd like to be clear that I place no blame on Velkase, I should have followed the recommendations to the letter.

I would recommend using normal motherboard standoff size in the Velka 3, which I think would negate my concerns about a heatsinked NVMe drive combined with a backplated graphics card.
 
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VELKASE Michael

King of Cable Management
Original poster
VELKASE
Gold Supporter
Oct 7, 2018
742
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@Boganator

Thank you for the details. I accept full responsibility over the issues you are experiencing. If you wish to make a return for any of those reasons, please contact me privately as well.

Cryorig C7:

I will look further into its backplate and see if there can be any work-around.


Noctua NH-L9A and screws interfering with mid panel:

If it is installed onto the motherboard before installing the motherboard onto the mid panel, then two screws for the heatsink will touch the mid panel but the 4 screws on front side the motherboard should still be able to reach the standoffs and screw down the motherboard. The bottom of the motherboard may be slightly lifted above the standoffs if the screws are not tightened completely, or the mid panel will slightly flex if the screws are tightened completely. In both of these cases, there will remain sufficient clearance for this cooler and the motherboard will still be held in place, with one of two drawbacks: being raised above standoffs or causing the mid panel to flex.


Motherboard solder points touching mid panel:

The surface of this piece is non-conductive. If any solder points on the back of the motherboard touch, they will not short. Do any of them cause clearance issues with your motherboard model?
 

Boganator

Chassis Packer
Sep 23, 2018
14
2
@VELKASE Michael

Thank you for your quick reply. I haven't decided whether to return the case or not yet, I will contact you privately with a few ideas I have that may resolve the issue.

Concerning clearance issues with the motherboard itself, I do not believe there will be any problems. I was unaware that the surface was non conductive, but that makes perfect sense now that you mention it.
 

JCameronMorris

Minimal Tinkerer
Jan 17, 2019
4
0
@VELKASE Michael

Thank you for your quick reply. I haven't decided whether to return the case or not yet, I will contact you privately with a few ideas I have that may resolve the issue.

Concerning clearance issues with the motherboard itself, I do not believe there will be any problems. I was unaware that the surface was non conductive, but that makes perfect sense now that you mention it.

If you decide to use different CPU cooler, I would recommend Thermolab ITX30 which I'm planning to use in Velka 3 when it's out
 

Boganator

Chassis Packer
Sep 23, 2018
14
2
I purchased some longer screws and was able to mount the motherboard. Success! Now I need to remove some extra cables from the power supply and find a way to route the cables, but it looks like I will be able to do it.

@VELKASE Michael

I have an ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac
 

VELKASE Michael

King of Cable Management
Original poster
VELKASE
Gold Supporter
Oct 7, 2018
742
913
I purchased some longer screws and was able to mount the motherboard. Success! Now I need to remove some extra cables from the power supply and find a way to route the cables, but it looks like I will be able to do it.

@VELKASE Michael

I have an ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac

Thank you for the information. Please let me know if you encounter any other issues with this setup. I would advise checking alignment of the motherboard with the IO shield, as the raised motherboard may now be misaligned.