New SFF gamers case: presentation and advices

SFF_fan said:
Anyone know of a LGA 1366 micro ATX board, released or due soon, that has both sata 6gb and usb 3.0? Kinda disappointed that the new shuttle sx58j3 won't have those, so I'm considering parts-ing together a system w/ this case... but I haven't been able to find a micro ATX to base it on, yet. Onboard audio + network preferred too, unless it's junk.

Other question- any recommendation on a water cooling solution for the da box case? I'm sick of dust-buster fan noise. :)

Hypothetical system specs:
- core i7 w/ 6gb (3x 2gb) ram
- win7pro, 64bit
- ati 5970 (water cooled?)
- x-25m SSD boot drive
- 1tb data drive
- internal (if there's room...) blu-ray/DVD/CD drive
- 600 or 750W modular ps (suggestions? I've seen a few mentioned here, any concensus on which is the quietest w/ enough output for the components listed?)

Any suggestions appreciated and welcome; I like the form factor of this case, but I'm afraid I'll need to use a full ATX to get the options I'm looking for... I've been digging thru this thread (slowly) but pointers to specific posts would be great too.

Oh- and color? Gunmetal grey or blued steel FTW.
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The Seasonic X750 is the smallest PSU with 750W. Stepping it up higher gives you bigger PSUs but they you may have problems with cable management or fitting long GPUs. I don't know about watercooling but it appears to be impossible to do a sustained internal watercooling (All in ones like the H50 aside). There is simply no room..
 
Oooh, Would love a nice deep dark red interior. Glad to hear the new front bezels are coming along. Still waiting on a job but if this one comes though I'll be buying right away. What would be an estimated turn around time on ordering one of these now?
 
British racing green
pearl white
piano black
gunmetal grey as suggested

I would be willing to pay a $20 premium for a top notch outer finish. To be honest cable management and the interior finish are not big issues for me. 99.9% of the time I hope to have my machine up and running taking up a small amount of space and looking good. No windows either.

Looking forward to it :)
 
a proper gunmetal grey would look amazing.


Im more of a black case guy, with a cobalt/royal blue inside <3
 
Other than the new striders from SilverStone which are modular as well. The Seasonic is 80+ Gold though! Freakin amazing.
 
SFF_fan said:
Anyone know of a LGA 1366 micro ATX board, released or due soon, that has both sata 6gb and usb 3.0? Kinda disappointed that the new shuttle sx58j3 won't have those, so I'm considering parts-ing together a system w/ this case... but I haven't been able to find a micro ATX to base it on, yet. Onboard audio + network preferred too, unless it's junk.

Other question- any recommendation on a water cooling solution for the da box case? I'm sick of dust-buster fan noise. :)

Hypothetical system specs:
- core i7 w/ 6gb (3x 2gb) ram
- win7pro, 64bit
- ati 5970 (water cooled?)
- x-25m SSD boot drive
- 1tb data drive
- internal (if there's room...) blu-ray/DVD/CD drive
- 600 or 750W modular ps (suggestions? I've seen a few mentioned here, any concensus on which is the quietest w/ enough output for the components listed?)

Any suggestions appreciated and welcome; I like the form factor of this case, but I'm afraid I'll need to use a full ATX to get the options I'm looking for... I've been digging thru this thread (slowly) but pointers to specific posts would be great too.

Oh- and color? Gunmetal grey or blued steel FTW.
Click to expand...


Because all of your USB and SATA 3 devices need it? FYI, it's USB/SATA3 OR dual PCIe x16.
Because both eat PCIe bandwith.
 
swapping st85-f for st1000-p here. dfi came bac, no time to swap that yet. second 5850 on friday.
 
Because all of your USB and SATA 3 devices need it? FYI, it's USB/SATA3 OR dual PCIe x16.
Because both eat PCIe bandwith.
Click to expand...

Well, honestly I'm more concerned with the devices I'm GOING to get, as opposed to the ones I already have, that work fine w/ my existing system and will stay with it... it's an attempt at future proofing a bit, capiche?

Regarding the bandwidth, well, this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614 It's not either-or, want both. Just smaller.

Thanks for the tips on the power supplies-
 
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SFF_fan said:
Well, honestly I'm more concerned with the devices I'm GOING to get, as opposed to the ones I already have, that work fine w/ my existing system and will stay with it... it's an attempt at future proofing a bit, capiche?

Regarding the bandwidth, well, this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614 It's not either-or, want both. Just smaller.

Thanks for the tips on the power supplies-
Click to expand...

Micro doesn't have the spare room for an added chip. You're gonna have to wait until x68 incorporates it.
 
Was afraid of that... still like this case tho, so I suppose I could swap in a new mATX board later...

Noise wise, can anyone comment on how loud Da Box is with adequate fan-age to cool a high end cpu + graphics card, assuming big slow fans, etc.?
 
mattinv said:
We are also discussing the possibility of getting some custom cases made with automotive paint quality and finish. We would like to know what color you would be interested in?
Click to expand...
Bronze with gold detail, though this is potentially difficult to get right - very easy to end up with something tacky and unappealing.

White or grey possibly to be neutral.
 
With 2 Noctua 120mm fans, a slim 120mm fan on my heatsink and a Zalman GPU heatsink fan on low, I can barely hear it when it's sitting under the desk. I'm very impressed by its cooling capabilities and low noise combination.
 
Okay, my P45 Jr came back. DFI didn't repair a damned thing, and it has the same stoopid problem it had before I sent it in. Arg.

Can anyone using the 2x 2.5" drive spots for SSDs, below the 5.25" bay, what cables are you using, and can you provide pics? Even with right angle connections, I am having issues with routing the cables.

Anyone have a P45 Jr. for sale?
 
found a P45 Jr. Anyone got pics of the 2x 2.5" drives cabled up, under the optical drive bay?
 
sabregen said:
found a P45 Jr. Anyone got pics of the 2x 2.5" drives cabled up, under the optical drive bay?
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+1 on this. still planning on hacking my 5.25 bay to bits, so very curious there (man, this being extended stuff only really bothers me when im on here and trying to plan my damn build!)
 
i ordered a titan fenrir cooler. waiting till it comes, it looks like the hd cages interfere with the cooler. we'll see when it gets here.
 
any way we can get some photos that compare this case to other SFF cases??

it would be nice to get an idea of size and the dimensions
 
Matt, here are some suggestions for Version 2 of the Da Box. (Da Box 200?). I would start by changing the name (lol), because I just don't think this product can be taken seriously with its current name.

Anyway:

1) Cable management - this isn't going to be easy. It would need rubber grommet slots positioned so that the PSU cables can go under the case/motherboard tray. I would take something that is slightly taller for the option of 1/2 - 1" of cable management room on the bottom. Without cable management a rig simply will not look good with a window.

2) Rubber feet

3) Redesigned cover. The current one piece helmet doesn't work well IMO. Break it into removable side covers.

4) Redesigned face plate (as others have mentioned)

Plus fixes to the other issues (motherboard standoffs, HD cage option, power cable etc).
 
MJZ said:
Matt, here are some suggestions for Version 2 of the Da Box. (Da Box 200?). I would start by changing the name (lol), because I just don't think this product can be taken seriously with its current name.

Anyway:

1) Cable management - this isn't going to be easy. It would need rubber grommet slots positioned so that the PSU cables can go under the case/motherboard tray. I would take something that is slightly taller for the option of 1/2 - 1" of cable management room on the bottom. Without cable management a rig simply will not look good with a window.

2) Rubber feet

3) Redesigned cover. The current one piece helmet doesn't work well IMO. Break it into removable side covers.

4) Redesigned face plate (as others have mentioned)

Plus fixes to the other issues (motherboard standoffs, HD cage option, power cable etc).
Click to expand...

I agree with number 3, never a fan of 1 piece covers, and number 2.
 
Hi Guys,

We are taking into account every single part you think we should improve.
1) It's compact, so possibilities are limited. But we are looking at what can be improved.
2) Yes, that will be there.
3) Most likely, it will be improved.
4) The latest sample I just received yesterday is much better. Unfortunately, it is for a specific client and I can't show a picture of it. But I might be able to show the new feature for the button, which is great.

Here is a picture regarding the bag.
DSC04922rd.jpg

DSC04987.JPG


EDIT: CUSTOM CASE / CAR PAINT

We will receive a sample of a red (metallic finish, car paint grade) on Tuesday.
 
mm is the top cover supposed to come off easily? I unscrewed the (5) screws in the back but am still having a hard time pulling it off
 
still hoping someone else is using the dual 2.5" drive slots under the optical bay, and can show me how in the hell they routed the SATA data and SATA power cables. As mine stands right now, even when the power cord and front face plate get resolved, I won't be able to put the cover on it. Anyone got pics?
 
sabregen said:
still hoping someone else is using the dual 2.5" drive slots under the optical bay, and can show me how in the hell they routed the SATA data and SATA power cables. As mine stands right now, even when the power cord and front face plate get resolved, I won't be able to put the cover on it. Anyone got pics?
Click to expand...

755565426_983wv-L.jpg
 
As far as the case feet go, it would've been really helpful to at least have the center of where the feet go dimpled somehow. It was really tough drilling holes in the center of where the case feet go.
 
mattinv said:
Hi Guys,

We are taking into account every single part you think we should improve.
1) It's compact, so possibilities are limited. But we are looking at what can be improved.
2) Yes, that will be there.
3) Most likely, it will be improved.
4) The latest sample I just received yesterday is much better. Unfortunately, it is for a specific client and I can't show a picture of it. But I might be able to show the new feature for the button, which is great.

Here is a picture regarding the bag.
DSC04922rd.jpg

DSC04987.JPG


EDIT: CUSTOM CASE / CAR PAINT

We will receive a sample of a red (metallic finish, car paint grade) on Tuesday.
Click to expand...

When you make a rev. 2 of the case I think it might be wise to make two versions. One stripped down basic version, and one finished project. The way that the case is engineered is truly brilliant, and if you implemented some of the common suggestions, I think you would have a truly outstanding product. It does seem like a few things were done to keep the cost of the case down, and I was thinking that two versions of the case might be the solution.

Version 1 "Modders Special"
This version would be stripped down without fans, or any other cost adding extras. Targeted towards modders who planned on adding a custom water cooling system, etc. If you are able to hit the $150 price point with a very basic model, it would be a no brainer of a sfff case-modding case.

Version 2 "DaBox Premium"
This version would ideally address the common issues mentioned by DaBox owners. Metal switches already mounted, case feet, fans pre-mounted, high quality paint finish, etc. I think that a polished version of this case with all issues resolved could be worth $250.

Both versions:
It would be great if the window bolted on. I am not a fan of windows on cases, but it actually inspired me to sleeve all my cables and do some serious cable management. Making it a size that was equivalent to a dual 120mm radiator would let you guys sell some optional hardware too. It seems to me that with really tight cable management, a 3rd 3.5" drive would probably fit in the cage. It would be great to have that ability. Make the 5.25" slot full sized as previously mentioned.

These are just my ideas, but I thought I would chime in with my feedback now that I have had some time to work with the case.
 
Silentbob343 said:
Yeah the first time was very difficult.
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Okay, I really need help. I tried pulling on the screws while stepping on the back cover... I tried using a butter knife to push it out... really think I'm missing something since others are getting it off fine..
 
closdubois said:
Okay, I really need help. I tried pulling on the screws while stepping on the back cover... I tried using a butter knife to push it out... really think I'm missing something since others are getting it off fine..
Click to expand...

Once you unscrew the spring loaded screws on the back the cover isn't secured so you should be able to pull it off. Try wiggling it around a bit. You could also try heating up the oven in your house and putting the case near the oven where it is warm. If you let it sit somewhere really warm for like half an hour it should make it easier to pop the cover off.
 
FengPangzi said:
755565426_983wv-L.jpg
Click to expand...

can I get a shot from the side on this one? top-down it looks like that SATA power cable on that drive isn't going to allow for the cover to be re-installed on your, either, and that it's not the right-angled connector, which is what I may have to end up ordering to get the side panel back on.

that top-down shot is great, but I am more concerned with the cable routing, as that will have an impact on which type of connections (straight-on or angled) will need to be used. I'm pretty sure my (coming next week) ST1000F-P will just have the straight connections, and not the right angled ones for SATA power, so I need to plan to address this and order the proper clamp-on connections, if needed.
 
sabregen said:
can I get a shot from the side on this one? top-down it looks like that SATA power cable on that drive isn't going to allow for the cover to be re-installed on your, either, and that it's not the right-angled connector, which is what I may have to end up ordering to get the side panel back on.

that top-down shot is great, but I am more concerned with the cable routing, as that will have an impact on which type of connections (straight-on or angled) will need to be used. I'm pretty sure my (coming next week) ST1000F-P will just have the straight connections, and not the right angled ones for SATA power, so I need to plan to address this and order the proper clamp-on connections, if needed.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, my system is taken apart right now, and I dont have any pics from the side. I remember that the SATA data cable is one of the right angle ones. The Strider power cables have the straight on SATA connector, with a single 90 degree one on the end of the cables, so you should be fine. I did test fit the cover and it fit, but I hadn't taken the time to tidy up my cables yet.
 
good to know on the Strider Plus 1kw right angled SATA power connection. thanks for that. Curious now how you're routing those. that side if pretty filled with fans! Currently my SATA power is tucked into (looking that the side, dead-on) the upper left corner of the 92mm fan mounting point. There's just enough room for the power cable, there. The data cable is going from the motherboard SATA connection, in between the board tray and PSU, out the 60mm fan hole, then up to the drive. I am afraid this cable will easily take damage when the side panel comes into the equation.
 
I agree with MJZ about cable management. you can raise the motherboard tray just a little higher so that we can route the psu cables underneath em.
 
closdubois said:
Okay, I really need help. I tried pulling on the screws while stepping on the back cover... I tried using a butter knife to push it out... really think I'm missing something since others are getting it off fine..
Click to expand...

Hi Closdubois,

Once the screws in the back are undone, you have to slide the cover backwards approximately half an inch (or just enough to pass the little lock tab in the back). To do that, I generally put my fingers on the side and push with my thumb on the back.
After that, you should be able to start sliding it upwards. While sliding it upwards, bend the side panels to the outside slightly. Don't worry about forcing on them a bit, they will come back in place.

UPDATES

This week, we are working on improving the manual. That should help a lot. We will now have a 10+ pages manual with big illustrations as to how things have to be mounted.
We used the feedback you gave me to incorporate some extra step and add details. We now have to add a lot of illustrations as to how it must be done.

Tuesday is still the day where we should receive a DA BOX with its car paint (it has been said it will be a very nice red, but I still don't have much informations about it - it's a surprise!). As soon as I get it, I'll take pictures and forward them to you.

Later this week, we will approve the front panels and hard drive cage. At least, this is the theory. We would like to get these things done as soon as possible so that we can ship these replacements parts.

We will do some more test fitting today and I will post a picture of the new feature on the revised front bezel.

Stay tunned!
 
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i'm still drooling over the announcement about the mini itx case... i just thought i should share my drool with everyone :D
 
Hey Matt, it was mentioned earlier in the thread about how dirt really attaches itself to the finish - is there something on your honey-do list to address that? I know you're talking about different colors in auto quality paint, but what does that mean for us existing owners?
 
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