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Stalled Winter One -- 15.6L SFF case, 3090 Support, 3-slot GPUs, dual 280mm radiators, CFD Optimized Design
- Thread starter WinterCharm
- Start date
When will new orders be accepted? Batch two is a January delivery date so does that mean new orders will open in December? I’m just hoping that when LTT and maybe other tech sites review the case there might be new demand and 300 cases is reached as early as possible.
@WinterCharm is it possible to get customs VAT taxes for EU-Buyers sorted out at the shipping? Some companies do this (Nouvolo Aquanaut is doing it), pay tax before hand, it gets faster to arrive and less trouble. Some companies such as DHL even take fees for customs clearing, which will make this a very expensive and tough process.
Agreed, this can help us out greatly. There is an extra customs handling fee that can be around 20-50 euros depending on the item.
An additional question - is there a quantifiable sound difference between solid and vented panels? I'm keen on the new 6800xt sapphire nitro but it's 55.3 mm thick, (2.7 slot) whereas the AIB models are about 50 mm (2.5 slot).
I wouldn't recommend running a ddc pump without any short of reservoir, or you might end up killing it in the long term (like a year).
There are solutions like the 1U reservoir from alphacool that will fit this case without worrying on sizes.
What does a reservoir provide that's critical for the reliability of a ddc? Are you talking about even, laminar flow through the volute inlet? Head pressure? Place for air to collect?
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Please Message me on Kickstarter, and I'll see what I can do. I think there's a *little* bit of time to modify your pledge, but I'm not sure of the specifics. If we have to go around the Kickstarter system to do it, I'm okay with that, so it'll be your decision.
Any idea if this will fit?
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Per OptimumTech with fittings it's 81mm or 72mm with low profile, and the apogee is 74mm with fittings and 81mm with low profile, so it should be ok?
Clearance above the CPU is 70mm. I couldn't make the standoffs as short as I wanted (cosmetic motherboard backplates almost breaking ITX spec is the main reason). Shorter standoffs to achieve 72mm clearance would mean everyone would need to do Motherboard surgery and remove those backplates... for the sake of people's sanity, I decided not to do that.
Cases will ship from the United States.
Quadro mounts to lower Arm, quite centrally located in the case, where there is lots of cable management available.
Late Dec / Early January, for delivery in Jan / Feb. Of those orders, the Kickstarter orders will ship first. (they were ordered first and get priority), rest will ship a bit later. This will be the first true test of supply chain optimizations I've worked on, hence the wider range of possible shipping dates. I'll be more specific once I have more data.
I will speak to my courier / distributor to see what can be done to make this process as smooth as possible. I would love to make customs clearing a non-issue for everyone.
It's a few dBa. (22dBa vs 25dBa) with noctua fans. The noise delta will depend heavily on what fans these cards are using. Vented is going to be better if you go with a 2.7 slot card, but also a bit louder. My advice is wait for reviews, and pick up the quietest card, and go vented, so you get the best performance at a lower volume. If you want to prioritize silence, consider going with a solid panel, and the quietest possible card, but if that card is too close to the panel, thermals might suffer.
What do you think will happen with vented sides, dual rads configured for exhaust, and some slim fans configured for intake adhered to the sides? Noticeable improvement or will they just suck up the air exhausting from the bottom rad? Planning to experiment w/ this at some point.It's a few dBa. (22dBa vs 25dBa) with noctua fans. The noise delta will depend heavily on what fans these cards are using. Vented is going to be better if you go with a 2.7 slot card, but also a bit louder. My advice is wait for reviews, and pick up the quietest card, and go vented, so you get the best performance at a lower volume. If you want to prioritize silence, consider going with a solid panel, and the quietest possible card, but if that card is too close to the panel, thermals might suffer.
Most likely they'll cause a lot more recirculation. Fans pull and push in a wide cone, like a flashlight. You'll likely get worse performance.
Thanks for the response @WinterCharm. I think I'll wait for the reviews as you say. I'd really like the prioritise silence and get the SPK, should it be released in the future, so the AIB card will likely be fine.
Just a thought, once the case comes out, we could start a Google Doc with what people are running (gpu, cpu, vented, water cooling, type of fans, etc) so we can see how much thermal/sound performance people get.
I would happily provide some test results once mine is built (5800x + 2070 Super)! If not a google doc, maybe some featured builds on the website.
I love this idea. I'll get it set up and ready to go
There is already a plan for featuring user builds on the site
Google sheet is a great idea. My system is fairly modest. Red Dragon 5700xt and 2600x. I'd like to compare the blackridge and NH-L12S performance/sound.
I think we'd need to standardise sound methodology though!
Additionally, may I suggest a photo competition? You'd get some free decent pictures (hopefully). Perhaps you could offer up a blueprint or tempered glass panel as the prizes and get some free beauty shots.
I think we'd need to standardise sound methodology though!
Additionally, may I suggest a photo competition? You'd get some free decent pictures (hopefully). Perhaps you could offer up a blueprint or tempered glass panel as the prizes and get some free beauty shots.
Sign me up. I'll settle for the opportunity to buy tempered glass panels. ?
Unfortunately couldn't get my review out before the KickStarter ended due to getting caught up in a stressful move, but wanted to give my thoughts on the case.
Functionality:
My final build in in my beta case was fully air-cooled with a R7 3700X, cooled by a Noctua NH-L12 Ghost S1 Edition, and RTX 2080 Ti Founder's Edition. Side panels were left off to emulate the low-restriction vented performance panels, which were not available during the beta period. I used 4 Noctua NF-A12x25 fans in exhaust as case fans, maxing out the top and bottom fan slots.
The air cooling potential in the case was exceptional, maximizing the performance of the L12 and the Founder's Edition cooler. The L12 matched the best performance I've gotten from other larger cases, and exceeded the performance I've reached in other SFF cases like the Ghost S1. Overall the bottleneck for CPU cooling was the cooler itself. The L12 is at the limits of what the case can support, and users seeking to maximize air-cooling performance will likely need to turn to additional modifications such as using a slim fan with low profile RAM and a compatible motherboard.
The GPU cooling was similarly excellent. I purchased the Founder's Edition RTX 2080 Ti primarily because of aesthetics, but have paid a price in both cooling and noise. It has particularly struggled in SFF cases where hot air is not able to be exhausted quickly enough and ends up recirculated by the cooler. There was no such problem with the Winter One, where cooling performance significantly exceeded the performance in the Ghost S1 and even an open-air build in the ZCases P50, both of which hit the thermal limit at stock. Not only did the GPU stay below the thermal limit in the Winter One, it was was able to sustain a mild overclock using the stock fan curve. The airflow in the case perfectly directs hot air to the exhaust fans, removing the recirculation problem prevalent in SFF cases.
Ease of Use:
Due to the skeletal structure of the case, the Winter One is incredibly easy to build in. It was a breeze to build everything onto the central frame, with zero incidents of needing to cram my digits into small crevices.
Aesthetics:
The Winter One is one of the best-looking cases I've had the pleasure to build in. I received the matte silver version with black top and bottom panels. The two-tone colors really work with this case, something it shares in common with the Ghost S1. I initially thought the large vent holes in the top and bottom panels would be unsightly but not only are they performant, they look darn good as well.
Both the side panels and front panels are thick and show excellent bead-blasting and anodization quality. My other hobbies include high end audio and mechanical keyboards, so I've seen my fair share of varying anodization quality. While not quite Apple-level, the finish on the Winter One is smooth and refined. It ranks right up there with audio equipment costing thousands of dollars as well as respected keyboard manufacturers such as Eve.
Conclusion:
SFF is all about compromises. Besides limited CPU air-cooling support for the highest end CPUs, the Winter One has none.
Functionality:
My final build in in my beta case was fully air-cooled with a R7 3700X, cooled by a Noctua NH-L12 Ghost S1 Edition, and RTX 2080 Ti Founder's Edition. Side panels were left off to emulate the low-restriction vented performance panels, which were not available during the beta period. I used 4 Noctua NF-A12x25 fans in exhaust as case fans, maxing out the top and bottom fan slots.
The air cooling potential in the case was exceptional, maximizing the performance of the L12 and the Founder's Edition cooler. The L12 matched the best performance I've gotten from other larger cases, and exceeded the performance I've reached in other SFF cases like the Ghost S1. Overall the bottleneck for CPU cooling was the cooler itself. The L12 is at the limits of what the case can support, and users seeking to maximize air-cooling performance will likely need to turn to additional modifications such as using a slim fan with low profile RAM and a compatible motherboard.
The GPU cooling was similarly excellent. I purchased the Founder's Edition RTX 2080 Ti primarily because of aesthetics, but have paid a price in both cooling and noise. It has particularly struggled in SFF cases where hot air is not able to be exhausted quickly enough and ends up recirculated by the cooler. There was no such problem with the Winter One, where cooling performance significantly exceeded the performance in the Ghost S1 and even an open-air build in the ZCases P50, both of which hit the thermal limit at stock. Not only did the GPU stay below the thermal limit in the Winter One, it was was able to sustain a mild overclock using the stock fan curve. The airflow in the case perfectly directs hot air to the exhaust fans, removing the recirculation problem prevalent in SFF cases.
Ease of Use:
Due to the skeletal structure of the case, the Winter One is incredibly easy to build in. It was a breeze to build everything onto the central frame, with zero incidents of needing to cram my digits into small crevices.
Aesthetics:
The Winter One is one of the best-looking cases I've had the pleasure to build in. I received the matte silver version with black top and bottom panels. The two-tone colors really work with this case, something it shares in common with the Ghost S1. I initially thought the large vent holes in the top and bottom panels would be unsightly but not only are they performant, they look darn good as well.
Both the side panels and front panels are thick and show excellent bead-blasting and anodization quality. My other hobbies include high end audio and mechanical keyboards, so I've seen my fair share of varying anodization quality. While not quite Apple-level, the finish on the Winter One is smooth and refined. It ranks right up there with audio equipment costing thousands of dollars as well as respected keyboard manufacturers such as Eve.
Conclusion:
SFF is all about compromises. Besides limited CPU air-cooling support for the highest end CPUs, the Winter One has none.
Did you try a comparison with the side panels on and the top/bottom fans both pointing upward? I would think this would maximize the exhaust of warm air away from the CPU/GPU and is the how the case was design to be used optimally.
Yes. The solid side panels had noticeably worse performance. Because the FE cooler vents to the sides, the intake fans were forcing hot air back into the GPU intake. This led to an interesting phenomenon where running the case fans at slower speeds actually improved temperatures because the recirculation effect was reduced.
By far, the best air cooling configuration was vented panels/all exhaust though. Solid panels could be an option with lower TDP parts however.
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i believe the worry is that they won't get enough air fed to them. i wonder if you could play around with fan speeds for exhaust at the top and bottom to compensate for it a bit?
