Production Velka series cases for ultra compact and portable desktops

theGryphon

Airflow Optimizer
Jun 15, 2015
299
237
From what I read on the website, both Velka 5 and 7 will now use internal GPU connectors to route IO to the back (2x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.0). This means they're using a 90-degree folded flexible PCI-E riser, since the motherboard will have its IO out the back.
 

ahillelt

Minimal Tinkerer
New User
Apr 11, 2020
4
2
Does the new Velka 3 not support any case fans whatsoever now? We can probably get a printed duct over the cpu cooler to only draw in cold air (and I guess also for the GPU), however X570 boards run hot and want to avoid stagnant heat. Any photos of the back of the Velka 3 to share? Thanks much!
 
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badaaim

Chassis Packer
May 19, 2017
18
13
Which make and model?



None of the new ones. Only Velka 3 revision 1.2 does.
Photos look very good and enticing Michael. So excited to see the revisions. Pardon the silly question. You mentioned no support for HDPlex, but I hope this doesn't mean we cannot find our own means for securing the HDPlex units?

Again, great overhaul.
 

MrFizzyBubbs

Chassis Packer
May 30, 2019
16
15
The 2.0 revisions look absolutely stunning; I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for a case. Will any reviewers be receiving the new revisions?
 
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VELKASE Michael

King of Cable Management
Original poster
VELKASE
Gold Supporter
Oct 7, 2018
742
913
The new Velka 5 revision looks great! Can we get a better idea of the actual layout inside, where the I/O is, etc.?

I'll post more in a few days (trying to spread out the release of all this info)

From what I read on the website, both Velka 5 and 7 will now use internal GPU connectors to route IO to the back (2x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.0). This means they're using a 90-degree folded flexible PCI-E riser, since the motherboard will have its IO out the back.
This is correct

Does the new Velka 3 not support any case fans whatsoever now? We can probably get a printed duct over the cpu cooler to only draw in cold air (and I guess also for the GPU), however X570 boards run hot and want to avoid stagnant heat. Any photos of the back of the Velka 3 to share? Thanks much!

I can share some renders of the back in a few days because there are some changes being made between the last prototype and the production units. Any fans will already be as close as possible to the side panel (unless if you use a CPU cooler under 37 mm in height for some reason), but there is a way to increase the CPU cooler clearance by up to 4 mm, which may be useful if you want to do a mod and use something like a Noctua NH-L9 with a 120 mm fan swap (This is not really an official feature). Alternatively, you might be able to zip tie very small fans to the front of the motherboard.

Photos look very good and enticing Michael. So excited to see the revisions. Pardon the silly question. You mentioned no support for HDPlex, but I hope this doesn't mean we cannot find our own means for securing the HDPlex units?

Again, great overhaul.

You could do it on your own, but it won't be elegant. You would have to create a plate that would sit above the motherboard to mount the DC-ATX unit, and also an adapter plate for the rear Flex ATX holes to mount the DC jack. The HDPLEX ATX cables will point upwards and be very close to the ceiling of the case. You would still have to use an external AC-DC adapter.

The 2.0 revisions look absolutely stunning; I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for a case. Will any reviewers be received the new revisions?

Reviews will only come out a month or two after release. I'm not going to have final versions to send until June or July and can't really justify delaying the release.
 

Tazpr

Master of Cramming
Aug 7, 2018
553
429
@VELKASE Michael - Love the new design and changes you've made - I think all of them take the case in the right direction for sure.

I guess any questions I have are pending seeing the GPU mounting/IO solution as my Velka 5 continues to have issues with my Red Dragon's fans touching the side panel despite being well within clearance.

Also need to get the front panel dimensions so I can get @warmack to make me another wooden faceplate since it looks like the dimensions are different to the current case.
 

thelaughingman

SFF Guru
Jul 14, 2018
1,413
1,566
This is just my opinion here, don't like any of the 2.0 revision at all. The new Velka 7 is larger and heavier (x2 the weight) than Velka 5 v1.1 yet offer lesser compatibility. I get the front panel is supposed to make the case feel more premium now but 5mm is kinda excessive when the rest of the case is only 1-1.2mm thick. And the last batch of Velka 5 v1.1 is limited to just the US so I guess I'm out.

Best of luck though!
 

VELKASE Michael

King of Cable Management
Original poster
VELKASE
Gold Supporter
Oct 7, 2018
742
913
This is just my opinion here, don't like any of the 2.0 revision at all. The new Velka 7 is larger and heavier (x2 the weight) than Velka 5 v1.1 yet offer lesser compatibility. I get the front panel is supposed to make the case feel more premium now but 5mm is kinda excessive when the rest of the case is only 1-1.2mm thick. And the last batch of Velka 5 v1.1 is limited to just the US so I guess I'm out.

Best of luck though!

Fair enough, but the most common complaints were the top IO, the screws, and the strength of the metal parts. Relocating the IO required the graphics card clearance to be reduced, the 5 mm front panel is needed to hide the side panel screws, and the metal parts had to be made from steel because using aluminum would have increased the overall size.

Do the 1.2 revision cases come with the fans/riser? What colors are available?

Both will be available and they will only be available in a white powder-coat.

Is there a possibility to fit a 280 mm Blower Style Vega 56 on the new Velka 5?

Only in the Velka 7, which has 286 mm length clearance.

@VELKASE Michael - Love the new design and changes you've made - I think all of them take the case in the right direction for sure.

I guess any questions I have are pending seeing the GPU mounting/IO solution as my Velka 5 continues to have issues with my Red Dragon's fans touching the side panel despite being well within clearance.

Also need to get the front panel dimensions so I can get @warmack to make me another wooden faceplate since it looks like the dimensions are different to the current case.

Are you using the expansion card lock on top (the angled black piece with tapped holes that secures the IO shield)? Which fan (top or bottom) is making contact?
 

griever

Average Stuffer
Apr 30, 2019
59
14
@VELKASE Michael

Well done. The new revision looks outstanding. Moving the PSU to the top was a great call. Gotta love the evolution of your design aesthetic.

I apologize if it was asked somewhere else, but what is the purpose of the front power switch being slow far down on the front panel? If the PSU has been relocated this can't simply be for cable clearance.
 

chubby464

Cable Smoosher
Jan 25, 2020
11
2
what was the rationale for bumping the velka 5 (og) up to the velka 7 as opposed to increasing the size to ~7L ish from initial dicussions?
 

cennis

Average Stuffer
Jan 13, 2020
66
50
Vk3 2.0 cosmetic and structural upgrades are incredible, but all in all I feel lucky that I got a v1.2 vk3. Vk5(with flex atx) on the other hand underwent a serious upgrade and I am itching to get one of those. The cosmetics, size decrease and real IO is a game changer.

My two cents on vk3:
Surprised to see the 80mm fans go. There was some testing posted here and they exhaust hot air well and cause a significant temp diff. They are noisy but they give the option to squeeze out the last bit of performance.

Putting the PSU at the top means losing the precious top side (the only availabe side except left, right, rear) for any sort of ventilation. I have not seen enb7660 PSU temps/noise being a concern to justify giving it fresh air from the top.

AC power cord coming out the top part of the rear may also be unwieldy for accessing mobo I/O and you will rarely need to unplug this without unplugging I/O. May be why manufactuers almost always make the power cord come out the bottom of the rear.
 

VELKASE Michael

King of Cable Management
Original poster
VELKASE
Gold Supporter
Oct 7, 2018
742
913
@VELKASE Michael
what is the purpose of the front power switch being slow far down on the front panel? If the PSU has been relocated this can't simply be for cable clearance.

There is a bracket that needs to go over the power button on the inside and attach the front plate to the frame. The higher the button is, the higher that bracket would need to be, and that would slightly reduce graphics card clearances.



what was the rationale for bumping the velka 5 (og) up to the velka 7 as opposed to increasing the size to ~7L ish from initial dicussions?

Time constraints and the lineup seemed incomplete without a case between the original 3 and 5. Velka 3 has received a lot of attention from the press, but suffered from poor power supply compatibility and graphics card compatibility. The power supply availability issue can be easily fixed by just reselling them and the Velka 5 fixes the graphics card compatibility issue. It was also a smaller risk to take compared to making a larger case because up until this point, the Velka 3 has received far more attention than the 5.

I'm still considering making a larger one but there do not seem to be any convenient "sweet spots" in terms of hardware compatibility beyond SFX PSU and full-length graphics card support to use. Increasing CPU cooler clearance beyond 47 mm just allows for a few more coolers comparable to the Black Ridge to be used, and increasing graphics card clearance would require increasing the case size in all three dimensions and quickly increase the size to as much as 10 liters- at which point you have to consider just changing the layout altogether.

I'd definitely like to hear your thoughts on what hardware support is important beyond the standard SFX + 47 mm CPU + full length graphics and what volume to stop at. There seem to be too many options
  • liquid cooling
  • extra CPU air cooler clearance
  • extra graphics card air cooler clearance
  • larger motherboard
  • riser-less layout
 
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Tazpr

Master of Cramming
Aug 7, 2018
553
429
Are you using the expansion card lock on top (the angled black piece with tapped holes that secures the IO shield)? Which fan (top or bottom) is making contact?
Do you mean the rectangular black piece I attach to the back?
I'm not no - I couldn't quite understand the process after reading the manual as there was limited instructions for GPU mounting - if you have any more detailed instructions I think I should re-mount the GPU.

Therer were a few parts that came with the case that I couldn't quite work out how to use so I've been using some rubber tabs as buffers between the panel and the GPU to prevent contact with the case.

In this case, the bottom fan is making contact - if you have anything you can provide to show me the correct mounting technique that would be awesome as I'm fairly certain I've simply not followed all the steps to mounting it correctly.
 

KevinSiebert

Chassis Packer
Mar 25, 2020
18
3
what's the reasoning behind the large gap in pricing between the Velka 3-RL and regular Velka 3? I was hoping the V3 2.0 wouldn't increase price too much from the base $80 pricing of the previous versions, I preferred the brushed finish on them too. I do think the silver chamfer and lighted power buttons are nice touches though.
 

griever

Average Stuffer
Apr 30, 2019
59
14
There is a bracket that needs to go over the power button on the inside and attach the front plate to the frame. The higher the button is, the higher that bracket would need to be, and that would slightly reduce graphics card clearances.

gotcha. regarding gpu clearances, I just ordered the Powercolor 5700 ITX from Japan. It's 175mm and the VK3 2.0 case clearance is stated at 173. Is this based on a rectangular prism representing the gpu in Autodesk fusion (or whatever your CAD software of choice)? If the specific GPU has a non-rectangular prism shape (suppose it is beveled), I wonder if the clearance might work? What do you think?

If not for the shape of that bracket, what do you suppose the clearance would be?