Stalled Z-CASE P50 v1.1: Innovative console-style SFF PC case

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BernardoZ

Founder of Z-CASES
Original poster
z-cases.com
Feb 7, 2018
264
490
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Hey John, thanks a lot for that ;)

@BernardoZ

Lol.. I didn't notice this before, but is that a Quadro GPU in there? :p
Yes, that is a Quadro P5000, Kevin's gpu. We will probably use it for pics and temp tests, as it is basically a "server-graded GTX1080" (same tdp too). Also, we will try to get a dual-fan model to compare with the blower-style temps inside our case.

behind the GPU would have as per some HDD as in lian li pc05
Not sure if that was a question. If it was, our case can support up to 5x 2,5" HDDs at current state:

- 3x below the gpu (7mm thickness, hard to access)
- 2x on top of the psu (up to 15mm thickness, like the Optane 900p/905p. Easy to access)
 

LeandroJVarini

Chassis Packer
Jul 4, 2017
18
44
Unfortunately, i don't think the price will get much lower than 250$. Me being from Brazil and Kevin from China, we will have to create a US-based company and bank account to be eligible for Kickstarter. What this means is that we will end up having to pay US taxes, which can get up to 30%. But the good news is that, if we do very good on the crowdfunding campaign, we will have the "power" to make some sweet deals with a mail delivery company, so prices might be a bit lower than usual. Remember we are planning to ship the cases from the US.
About the color finishing, thanks for adressing that. I also love that orange candy pearl, just because it reminds a luxury sports car paint, so I will study the possibility!
Cheers
Caramba, você está desenvolvendo este case aqui no brasil, parabéns pela audácia, estarei seguindo de perto, ainda sonho em comprar um PC-05S, mas seu projeto substitui ele facilmente LOL.

Wow, you're developing this case here in Brazil, congratulations for the audacity, I'll be following closely, I still dream of buying a PC-05S, but your project easily replaces it LOL.
 
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JournaL

Caliper Novice
May 4, 2017
29
19
Like others have said, it is a more awesome verison of the Lian Li's PC-05S,X,W... (which I found stunning but could not justify the $400 price).

I would prefer a HDPlex or G-Unique as an alternative to the Flex PSU (although I have never tried the Enhance brand, so maybe that may change my opinion on them).

But I can take that Flex PSU space and maybe use it to add one or two of those old fatty 3.5 drives? Although it will require some finesse (anti vibration pads, solid mount, etc).

The Digital LCD screen is a great idea! Why alt-tab to check HWMonitor when you can see the info through the window!

As others have said, I also would like to see an USB-C Front I/O cutout/port. More and more cases and motherboards support it (like the ASUS Z370I which only has support for the faster USB 3.1 Gen 2 speed on the front I/O connector for some reason...) The Lian Li's PW-ICO1NH45 cable would be a perfect reference for a cutout and/or add-on cable install.

Since the airflow is coming in from the front/top, would a dust filter be able to fit in those areas? It will probably look odd to me for that to just cover that front gap, but I had to ask, as I am not a fan of using air and vacuuming, haha.

Looking foward to the Kickstarter! If Linus and Teksyndicate can get a review on an end production prototype, I am sure your Kickstarter will get funded in no time at all!

Also how did the Alpha Cool NexXxos XT45 AIOs test go? The 60mm x3 rad had decent performance over at watercooled.ch
 
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Mortis Angelus

Airflow Optimizer
Jun 22, 2017
283
277
As others have said, I also would like to see an USB-C Front I/O cutout/port. More and more cases and motherboards support it (like the ASUS Z370I which only has support for the faster USB 3.1 Gen 2 speed on the front I/O connector for some reason...)

I agree with everything you say in you comment!

However, I don't know where you take this statement from (quoted)? The Z370i from Asus has 1x USB 2.0 header, 1x USB 3.1 gen1 header and one USB 3.1 gen2 header.

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-Z370-I-GAMING/specifications/
 
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JournaL

Caliper Novice
May 4, 2017
29
19
I agree with everything you say in you comment!

However, I don't know where you take this statement from (quoted)? The Z370i from Asus has 1x USB 2.0 header, 1x USB 3.1 gen1 header and one USB 3.1 gen2 header.

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-Z370-I-GAMING/specifications/

Thanks!

I don't know if they updated the board yet, but I built a 8700K system for a customer a few months back with that particular motherboard. When he connected his TerraMaster USB-C DAS to the build he complained to me that the USB-C port in the back only had Gen 1 speeds. I looked at the board closely and realized the only Gen 2 supported header was the front I/O connector, so I had to get a USB 3.1 Front Panel to USB-C cable and reroute it towards the back. It was kind of a pain, since the first cable I got was a Cablecc, and it kept coming loose with the motherboard connector. The Lian Li L-type connector worked perfectly.

I think the other motherboards (ASRock) with the Z370 chipsets and X470 (if you are going AMD) have USB 3.1 gen2 support in the rear connectors. Quite odd the Z370I Strix doesn't.
 
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BernardoZ

Founder of Z-CASES
Original poster
z-cases.com
Feb 7, 2018
264
490
www.z-cases.com
@Slamborghini We are trying our best to make the case available at Kickstarter on beginning of August. We'll reveal the official date soon.

@JournaL Hey, thanks for the great feedback! Let me try to answer most of your questions:

- Flex-ATX will probably be our PSU final choice. Besides the better airflow on our case (compared to SFX), we really want to try pushing its form factor to the consumer market. We will make modifications to improve it (the ones confirmed right now are: black enclosure, custom cables, and quieter fan for the Enhance 600w unit).
- Based on the dimensions, it might be possible to put two 3,5" in place of the psu. But what about native 3,5" hdd support? We will show how you can use one 3,5" hdd and the psu at the same time, on the next update ;)
- Custom front IO, lcd screen and dust filters are doable, but we will leave them for after the campaign (and before delivering the case), along with other improvements. Those things are not worth doing now, as it can delay our whole project if something goes wrong.
- Btw, you don't need to make negative air pressure on this case. If you use the two top fans as intake, it becomes positive, so the dust is less of a problem. We will still test which of the 2 options gives better temps.
- It's a mistery if we will convince a big youtuber to make a review, and we know it's very important for a Kickstarter campaign. Let's hope XD
- I have to admit we didn't test the custom AIO we got, as we decided to focus the v1 on aircooling. Maybe we make a watercooling support version on our next revision, we'll see.

Cheers!
 
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RoLexus

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jan 22, 2018
140
65
byanh.com
I have a question for you, how can you buy the Enhance 600w, I didn't find it any where or all out of stock.
 

BernardoZ

Founder of Z-CASES
Original poster
z-cases.com
Feb 7, 2018
264
490
www.z-cases.com
@RoLexus Enhance haven't launched it yet, so you have to send them an email to buy the unit.

There's actually a guy on Taobao selling a custom version of it, check link (I've never bought from him, so can't guarantee).
Or just PM me, and I may be able to get you one. Cheers ;)
 
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RoLexus

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jan 22, 2018
140
65
byanh.com
Thanks, Taobao link is out of stock, I ordered a popular 500W one, but I believe It can't handle Xeon CPU and 1080ti, I may PM you if the 500W one die while test.
 
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Mortis Angelus

Airflow Optimizer
Jun 22, 2017
283
277
Thanks!

I don't know if they updated the board yet, but I built a 8700K system for a customer a few months back with that particular motherboard. When he connected his TerraMaster USB-C DAS to the build he complained to me that the USB-C port in the back only had Gen 1 speeds. I looked at the board closely and realized the only Gen 2 supported header was the front I/O connector, so I had to get a USB 3.1 Front Panel to USB-C cable and reroute it towards the back. It was kind of a pain, since the first cable I got was a Cablecc, and it kept coming loose with the motherboard connector. The Lian Li L-type connector worked perfectly.

I think the other motherboards (ASRock) with the Z370 chipsets and X470 (if you are going AMD) have USB 3.1 gen2 support in the rear connectors. Quite odd the Z370I Strix doesn't.

Lol, what a misunderstanding. I thought you meant the board only featured front usb3.1 gen2 and nothing elde.
Xd
 
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BernardoZ

Founder of Z-CASES
Original poster
z-cases.com
Feb 7, 2018
264
490
www.z-cases.com
Hey guys.

We want to add a new feature on next prototype revision, and here is what I came up with:



Do you think this is a good idea?
The Slim ODD drive makes a lot of sense to me, because of the front gap hole. And the 3,5" HDD looks a bit strange, but it fits too XD

Cheers!
 
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davegus91

Cable Smoosher
Jun 24, 2018
11
22
ODD has gone the way of the dinosaur. only plausible use i can think of would be if you could source one capable of UHD blu-ray.

That render of the 3.5in drive in there looks terrible visually. if only there were still enthusiast oriented 3.5in drives like there were ~12 years ago.


WD raptor X, black chassis, visable head would look absolutely baller there.

And i saw you commented on my build featuring the FSP 500w flex atx psu. I want to point out that i am using the platinum model, not the gold model that was brought up earlier in the thread. Noise is reasonable in db and pitch when pulling 220 ish odd watts. Not sure under saturated load though- will find out after upgrades down the line. And fan spools to full hairdryer for a few seconds on cold boot and waking from s3 sleep.
 
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Mortis Angelus

Airflow Optimizer
Jun 22, 2017
283
277
ODD has gone the way of the dinosaur. only plausible use i can think of would be if you could source one capable of UHD blu-ray.

That render of the 3.5in drive in there looks terrible visually. if only there were still enthusiast oriented 3.5in drives like there were ~12 years ago.


WD raptor X, black chassis, visable head would look absolutely baller there.

And i saw you commented on my build featuring the FSP 500w flex atx psu. I want to point out that i am using the platinum model, not the gold model that was brought up earlier in the thread. Noise is reasonable in db and pitch when pulling 220 ish odd watts. Not sure under saturated load though- will find out after upgrades down the line. And fan spools to full hairdryer for a few seconds on cold boot and waking from s3 sleep.


Can people please stop being so negative towards ODDs? If you don't want one, then don't install one. I for one have all my current PCs equipped with a regular Blu-Ray drive for my movie collection. I also have some old games that require discs. Anyway, it's nice to have the option available, even if you don't intend on using it.

Regarding ugly ODDs or ugly 3.5" drives, I saw JayzTwoCents fix this by camouflaging his drives with black vinyl wrap for his D-frame-build. Could be an option, right?

But I am still concerned about both cluttered cable management and diminished air flow with a setup featuring ODD or 3.5" drives
 

davegus91

Cable Smoosher
Jun 24, 2018
11
22
Sorry that did sound a bit harsh on re-read. My personal opinion comes from the fact that i went out of my way to cram a slim odd in my previous build that was in use for four years and only got used once for my wife's employee handbook that came on cd-r. Its just not a common thing for may users anymore in a world being taken over by shrinking portable devices.

That being said if it doesn't require redesigning of multiple components it can't hurt to include the mount points.

Also a thought on the mounts for the side panel, how about something like this that's used for signage? Basically just a nice looking standoff and screw set
 
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