Production ZS Cases - A4 OC V1 - Open Case - April Release

tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Jan 25, 2018
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Ordered! much thanks to @tinyitx

and this was just posted on r/sffpc. so pretty!

One feedback to that build. He mentioned that he could not fit his DP cable in without taking off the base plate. Oddly, I was able to put in my DP cable without problem. I admit the insert was not very easy but with a little push and the DP cable was squeezed in.

Anyway, that build is quite pretty. And if it were me, I would go all the way with a 360 rad, which I think, will be what you are going to use. Correct? I look forward to your beastly build.

BTW, what colour will yours be?
 
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thelaughingman

SFF Guru
Jul 14, 2018
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One feedback to that build. He mentioned that he could not fit his DP cable in without taking off the base plate. Oddly, I was able to put in my DP cable without problem. I admit the insert was not very easy but with a little push and the DP cable was squeezed in.

Anyway, that build is quite pretty. And if it were me, I would go all the way with a 360 rad, which I think, will be what you are going to use. Correct? I look forward to your beastly build.

BTW, what colour will yours be?
yeah I'm quite surprised about the DP cable given how much clearance there is - then the angle to which the cable is inserted is the issue? I'm thinking to just plug the DP cable in before installing the GPU to the case haha

yes I'll be going with 360 radiator, have a pair of HWL GTS 360 incoming. and I chose the same colour as yours, grey. It's my default go-to colour whenever it is available 😁
 
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tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Jan 25, 2018
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yes I'll be going with 360 radiator, have a pair of HWL GTS 360 incoming. and I chose the same colour as yours, grey. It's my default go-to colour whenever it is available 😁
A pair? I hope it is not for a single build with this open frame. It is hard to imagine how you fit two 360 rad. Stacking them does not make sense as it should be just better to use one thick fat rad instead of two slim thin rads. Maybe, one 360 for this open frame build and the other one for another build?

@ZS-Cases , suggestion for V1.1 or V2. Somehow make the frame with switch-able 'side panels'. I mean, the 2 'side panels' can switch side so that, if you look from the front, the GPU is installed on the left side while the CPU+PSU on the right. Not sure how difficulty would this be.
 

thelaughingman

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Jul 14, 2018
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A pair? I hope it is not for a single build with this open frame.
I thought I would build in the ZZAW C3 with 2x 360 but then this case took over. Then there were only 2 left in stock at PPCS so I just bought both, why the heck not - always good to have a backup.

Stacking them does not make sense as it should be just better to use one thick fat rad instead of two slim thin rads.
those thick HWL rads (GTR/GTX) are just OOS indefinitely so I couldn't wait haha
 
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ZS-Cases

Average Stuffer
Original poster
Oct 21, 2020
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zscases.com
A pair? I hope it is not for a single build with this open frame. It is hard to imagine how you fit two 360 rad. Stacking them does not make sense as it should be just better to use one thick fat rad instead of two slim thin rads. Maybe, one 360 for this open frame build and the other one for another build?

@ZS-Cases , suggestion for V1.1 or V2. Somehow make the frame with switch-able 'side panels'. I mean, the 2 'side panels' can switch side so that, if you look from the front, the GPU is installed on the left side while the CPU+PSU on the right. Not sure how difficulty would this be.
Hi tinyitx,

I have pass on your feedback to the designer. Thanks for sharing our case on the sub reddit.
 
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thelaughingman

SFF Guru
Jul 14, 2018
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I did a thing today 😂
Today I received the ZS OC v1 (bought 2 weeks ago) and documented my unboxing & assembly experience. Really happy with the purchase!



EDIT: forgot to add that a manual is sorely needed and would be greatly appreciated by end-users. Took me a lot of back-and-forth to figure out how to screw in what first during assembly
 
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tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
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I did a thing today 😂


EDIT: forgot to add that a manual is sorely needed and would be greatly appreciated by end-users. Took me a lot of back-and-forth to figure out how to screw in what first during assembly
A manual is exactly what I have suggested to them.
BTW, I think the 2 rods to support the display card are installed wrong, at least the one with the 3 screws. You can compare pics in my build log.

During setting up, have you figured out what is that small screw driver for?

Look forward to your build!

Edit:- did you order through Taobao or thru their website (in Australia, I think)?
 
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thelaughingman

SFF Guru
Jul 14, 2018
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BTW, I think the 2 rods to support the display card are installed wrong, at least the one with the 3 screws. You can compare pics in my build log.
yep, you're right. I need to flip both so will do that when I do the transplant. Can't be bothered now haha

During setting up, have you figured out what is that small screw driver for?
No effing idea. The biggest hex screw just works on all of the screws

Edit:- did you order through Taobao or thru their website (in Australia, I think)?
I ordered direct, the case still comes directly from China. I think the ZS team has member(s) in Australia (?)
 
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tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Jan 25, 2018
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@ZS-Cases
I just thought of a good design improvement for the next revision.

If the display card needs to be put back into the motherboard PCIe slot to troubleshoot (eg a faulty riser cable), there is currently no way to support the card. If some kind of support or retention mechanism/system is incorporated, then this could be very useful. Please pass this on to the designer for his consideration. Thanks.
 
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thelaughingman

SFF Guru
Jul 14, 2018
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transplanting my build is done, currently under 24-hour leak testing phase



@ZS-Cases 1 suggestion / request is a PSU bracket that mounts to the back of the spine just like the ATX PSU bracket BUT has mounting holes for standard SFX PSU. This is because in my use-case of SFX PSU with adapter then mount to the ATX bracket, the PSU sits 10mm off the stand and does not fully clear the mDTX board

 

thelaughingman

SFF Guru
Jul 14, 2018
1,413
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I dub it Unicorn



@ZS-Cases a summary of my thoughts and suggestions for the case:
  • User manual!!! (from the moment I unboxed the case)
  • 1 more PSU bracket with SFX mounting holes but mounted to the back of the spine (from yesterday)
  • Includes pump mountings holes on the bottom stand
  • Can include more standoffs (10/15/20mm) in case users want to shift the GPU away from the spine for better airflow (think RTX 3090 situation)
  • Improve the power button as current one is mushy and can be sticky if not pressed 100% at the center. There's a HD LED cable but no LED on the case?
  • Include a 2nd "flex" button on the top of the spine as I see there is enough space there. It would be awesome as a restart / clear CMOS button
 

vusun123

Average Stuffer
Jul 10, 2020
88
66
So @thelaughingman pointed me here to upload a few pics of my ZS OC V1 build. So here it is





There is a custom distro plate at the top of the case, and I also made a few adjustments to the radiator mounting tray so I can flip the inlet/outlet of the radiator to the bottom for cleaner tubing. If you use the C8I like I did here, there is no need to drill a hole in the distro plate to make room for the power switch, but I did anyway
 

vusun123

Average Stuffer
Jul 10, 2020
88
66
Open case build, but I think if you just covered it with some mesh panels, most % of the space would be utilized. Looks cool as well.
Covering a mini DTX board with a hanging SO-DIMM2 module is a bad idea, also I like it staying out in open air where I don't have to worry about airflow and such. Dusting is easy since I can blast my can duster once every week
 

Elaman

Cable-Tie Ninja
Sep 13, 2020
155
119
Covering a mini DTX board with a hanging SO-DIMM2 module is a bad idea, also I like it staying out in open air where I don't have to worry about airflow and such. Dusting is easy since I can blast my can duster once every week
Sounds good! What I meant is that even in open air, the cubic mm's I think are pretty well utilized.