I think Kickstarter wants you to scribble something on a napkin and make it look like that's where you started your design, LOL.
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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
For Fun, From Yesterday -- Adventures in Product Photography -- the "Oh god deadline is in a few hours" hastily thrown together setup.
Now, back to waiting. :3
Now, back to waiting. :3
I'm pretty amped for the SPK whenever that eventually finishes development! I read earlier that an SPK designed around vented panels are being considered. If something like that does end up being the chosen design, I think it'd add a ton of sex appeal if it were finished in a way to stand out. Maybe copper peaking out through the vent holes? Just ideas!
Good luck with the Kickstarter!
Good luck with the Kickstarter!
Just stumbled on this awesome looking project today. I've been planning a Formd T1 water build for quite sometime but it just didn't tick all the boxes. This case DOES! So ''pumped''. ? Congrats @WinterCharm for such an amazing creation. All the best with the Kickstarter/release. Hopefully I can snag an earlybird spot.
That color looks quite nice. I also love how the fans look through the grill. Brown is quality.For Fun, From Yesterday -- Adventures in Product Photography -- the "Oh god deadline is in a few hours" hastily thrown together setup.
Now, back to waiting. :3
A closer look at the beautifully machined end plate, and rear panel, and the noctua fans inside...
A closer look at the beautifully machined end plate, and rear panel, and the noctua fans inside...
Lovely! I really like that two-tone color scheme. Ever considered a space-gray-esque tint for the panels, or is that beyond the realm of possibility?
While we're oh so patiently waiting for Kickstarter to wake up, how about another beta tester review?
A little background: I'm an aerospace engineer. I (and another aerospace guy) came into one of the early reddit threads about Winter One looking for a fight. CFD driven, airflow focused, etc all sounded like the usual marketing speak I've dealt with from my sales teams who are also selling a moon and perpetual energy. I came out of that thread thinking, "maybe this guy isn't that full of shit." If you've worked with engineers before, you'll know that's just about the highest praise I can give. I've since spent quite a bit of time in the r/sffpc discord discussing the case with @WinterCharm, and that praise still stands.
Anyway, on to the case itself.
It arrived flatpacked, no surprise there. Assembly was super easy: it just requires a handful of M3 screws. The finished product is gorgeous. This is my first boutique case, so I don't have a direct comparison, but it is a seriously sturdy piece. That's not to say there weren't issues. It is a beta after all, but Wintercharm was quick to listen to and fix all of our complaints.
I don't have a 2080ti or 3950x, so my actual testing results may not be as impressive or relevant as some of the other beta builds. In fact, most of my testing was done with a 4790k and a couple of 1060s. 6 year old hardware in a $300 case may seem kinda silly, but I'm more interested in the tinkerbox aspect than throwing another $4k of computer inside. I'm going to build a 2x240 loop for the 4790k and a r9 290 soon. Why? Funsies. The case allows for a ton of variety, and I'm gonna play with as many configurations as I can come up with.
I did find some interesting tidbits regarding the airflow in the case.
1) At Wintercharm's request, I tested an all-exhaust configuration with a twist. Since the beta units only came with solid side panels, he had me simulate the performance panels with cardboard strips and tape. (Sorry, I have to show off these pictures, janky as they are ?) I did this test with the EVGA 1060 mini shown, and a regular 2-fan Asus 1060. The taller strips performed better, proving that more ventilation is not always better.
I also tested a bottom-up fan configuration with the solid side panels. The interesting detail here was that I had to turn down the case fans from 66% to 50% (1400-1000rpm) in order to improve graphics card temperatures. Airflow is so good that it screwed with the graphics card coolers.
Which brings me to the final configuration I've tested: A GTX 1080 with a Raijintek Morpheus and no fans installed on it. Basically, a mini SPK. Temps below are during OCCT Power Test, all stock settings on the graphics card.
Bear in mind, that's with 7 year old Coolink fans (That neon yellow) and a cooler that is not designed to be semipassive. Seriously impressive results. I can't wait for the SPK.
Conclusion: It's a damn good case, and the moon is made of machined aluminum cheese.
Bonus: The one actually good photo I've taken of Winter One
A little background: I'm an aerospace engineer. I (and another aerospace guy) came into one of the early reddit threads about Winter One looking for a fight. CFD driven, airflow focused, etc all sounded like the usual marketing speak I've dealt with from my sales teams who are also selling a moon and perpetual energy. I came out of that thread thinking, "maybe this guy isn't that full of shit." If you've worked with engineers before, you'll know that's just about the highest praise I can give. I've since spent quite a bit of time in the r/sffpc discord discussing the case with @WinterCharm, and that praise still stands.
Anyway, on to the case itself.
It arrived flatpacked, no surprise there. Assembly was super easy: it just requires a handful of M3 screws. The finished product is gorgeous. This is my first boutique case, so I don't have a direct comparison, but it is a seriously sturdy piece. That's not to say there weren't issues. It is a beta after all, but Wintercharm was quick to listen to and fix all of our complaints.
I don't have a 2080ti or 3950x, so my actual testing results may not be as impressive or relevant as some of the other beta builds. In fact, most of my testing was done with a 4790k and a couple of 1060s. 6 year old hardware in a $300 case may seem kinda silly, but I'm more interested in the tinkerbox aspect than throwing another $4k of computer inside. I'm going to build a 2x240 loop for the 4790k and a r9 290 soon. Why? Funsies. The case allows for a ton of variety, and I'm gonna play with as many configurations as I can come up with.
I did find some interesting tidbits regarding the airflow in the case.
1) At Wintercharm's request, I tested an all-exhaust configuration with a twist. Since the beta units only came with solid side panels, he had me simulate the performance panels with cardboard strips and tape. (Sorry, I have to show off these pictures, janky as they are ?) I did this test with the EVGA 1060 mini shown, and a regular 2-fan Asus 1060. The taller strips performed better, proving that more ventilation is not always better.
I also tested a bottom-up fan configuration with the solid side panels. The interesting detail here was that I had to turn down the case fans from 66% to 50% (1400-1000rpm) in order to improve graphics card temperatures. Airflow is so good that it screwed with the graphics card coolers.
Which brings me to the final configuration I've tested: A GTX 1080 with a Raijintek Morpheus and no fans installed on it. Basically, a mini SPK. Temps below are during OCCT Power Test, all stock settings on the graphics card.
| Case Fan Speed (Bottom to top airflow) | Temperature |
| 100% (1940 rpm) | 63C |
| 90% (1840 rpm) | 65C |
| 80% (1640 rpm) | 68C |
| 70% (1440 rpm) | 73C |
| 60% (1240 rpm) | 79C |
Bear in mind, that's with 7 year old Coolink fans (That neon yellow) and a cooler that is not designed to be semipassive. Seriously impressive results. I can't wait for the SPK.
Conclusion: It's a damn good case, and the moon is made of machined aluminum cheese.
Bonus: The one actually good photo I've taken of Winter One
Thank you for the follow!The Mac Pro's cooling system was one of the big inspirations for this case. It's definitely one of the best put together full towers I have seen. Apple managed to make something that could comfortably cool 475W Dual-Vega GPU's at 900 RPM.
Of course! Generally, I'm very reluctant to add volume to a case unless there's a real need, and clear benefit. In particular case, there was The biggest problem with fin stacks is getting good contact solder between the fins and heat pipes. It has a drastic effect on performance, and is usually why we often see nickel-plating on base plates and fin stacks... That's the most likely approach we'll take with the SPK, as performance must come first for a product like that.
Thank you! I know this case is a bit bigger than other options in the SFF market, but I wanted to bring that careful and premium touch to a case of this type and size, with plenty of cooling options, because many of the existing offerings limit cooling a bit too much IMO.
The Beta Program Cases were 2-toned so I could do test runs for parts in Matte Black and Matte Silver, which will be the first available launch colors. (Black will be default, silver is going to be unlocked at 300 orders).
If we pass 750 orders (stretch goal), there'll be an opportunity for the community pick a 3rd color option
I remember that discussion, and have enjoyed the subsequent Aero discussions we've had, both on Discord, and in the other reddit posts.
Having an engineer say "this checks out" is high praise, indeed Thank you.I'm incredibly thankful to the Beta testers. Your feedback has helped find some of those weird edge cases that I either didn't account for or had no way to test during prototyping. I think the best piece of product design wisdom I got from a mentor was "find good critics and listen to them -- they're the ones who care enough to tell you what's wrong" and that's served me well thus far
Between ample amounts of benchmark data, great feedback on design tweaks, and just how awful the old side panel design was, and more, It's safe to say the case wouldn't be where it is today, without the Beta.
Hahahaha while I love the jankiness of pure unrestrained engineering and rapid prototyping, this level of jank is why there were entire prototype versions that weren't ever shown to the public (v1 was entirely cardboard, v2 was a quick and dirty FDM print)... etc. Rapid Prototyping is often full of this type of thing. Find what works and do it quickly, as they say... ^-^ and the data helped me confirm some of the weirdness we saw around bottom >> top exhaust in the case, and make a few final decisions on the side panel redesigns.
I think the Morpheus presents the best case for just how strong airflow is in Winter One. GPU's that exhaust *against* the airflow see a 4-5ºC DROP in temperature, when you LOWER fan RPMs in this case, because it's just that strong (and the added benefit is that lower rpm = even more quiet). Then again that's exactly what you want to overcome the pressure drop of a large semi-passive cooler, which, as it turns out, isn't too different from the pressure drop seen in a "regular sized" dense cooler like the Morpheus.
I find it amusing that even some old pressure optimized fans were able to actually smash air through the Morpheus in a way that let you achieve sub-70ºC operating temperatures on what is effectively a fanless cooler meant to have actual fans strapped to it.
It's probably the closest / best approximation for how unbelievably good the SPK will be when it comes out
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Seconded. Space/gunmetal gray would be a welcome addition, although I understand from others here that it's not a particularly easy finish to get right.
I actually really like the look at the two tone beta cases.
(Hey there WinterCharm, it’s Jack from over on Discord)
(Hey there WinterCharm, it’s Jack from over on Discord)
Now there's no question about it: OT's gonna love it
All Ali needs to do is message me his address... I'll take care of the rest ^-^
I was looking through the thread, but have you announced the price for the perforated side panels?
Also, I know everyone has their opinions... but what are your thoughts on push vs pull through a CPU rad in an all exhaust setup?
Also, I know everyone has their opinions... but what are your thoughts on push vs pull through a CPU rad in an all exhaust setup?
With performance panels and all-exhaust you should sandwich the radiators between the fans and mounting panels. With solid panels and bottom-to-top airflow, stick fans under the radiators pushing through. In both cases you’re giving your fans more open space to draw air through, and while the performance of push vs pull is negligible the acoustics should be much better with that configuration.
Thanks! I would just be using a single radiator but if I’m following correctly you’re suggesting a push setup (with perforated side panels/all exhaust)
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