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Bespoke ITX Case Feedback

E

Endoframe

n00b
Joined
Mar 12, 2013
Messages
24
Hi everyone!

For the past 2 years we have been working on a custom small form factor case with integrated liquid cooling.

Recently, our supplier backed out of supporting us during our initial media sample run (for reviewers) and the deal never went through. We had spent 8 months working on our design using their cooler and essentially set us back to square one.

We now have to go in a different direction as this is the second AIO cooling company that has backed out at the last minute.

We would like to gauge your feedback on a few things.

Our current design consists of a 180mm radiator with integrated reservoir, and a koolance pmp300 - both of these are integrated into the case constructon.

The size of our case is similar dimensions to the excellent ncase M1, however there are no PSU or GPU size limitations to be mindful of.

This means that space is precious and the PMP300 is the only cooler that we can aesthetically fit well.

The 180mm radiator we are using (alphacool) is the best we can find and will hopefully soon be recognized as a distributor for this product.

Our questions are:

1: Are you happy to have the radiator and pump assembled and supplied with the case? Due to our relationships with suppliers we would supply these at retail or below pricing.

2: Would you prefer to buy the radiator and pump separately and fit them yourself? This would mean the case would be largely unusable until you did so.

3: The current configuration involves using special adapters to directly connect the pump to the radiator without tubing - would you like this supplied with the case if you chose to get the other parts separately?

4: Would you be happy to just have the radiator and adapter for the pump integrated into the case so you can purchase and fit the pump yourself?


Note that we will be supplying a silverstone fan with the case as the fan requires modification before installation. The reason will become clear once we reveal the design.

Hopefully we can launch very soon once we have these queries answered. Our design is finalized based on the assumption that supplying the pump and rad is the right thing to do, but again that is just an assumption.

Thanks for your time!
 
If the case is largely unusable without a particular radiator/pump, I would be hesitant to purchase without those parts (if at all). What level of rad/case integration are you looking at, screwed together or soldered/welded together?
 
Its screwed together but the Rad is used as part of the frame. The entire case is built around the components.
 
Final design will depend on feedback, which could change layout drastically.

No pics yet - especially considering that once the ncase came out people are copying it in droves.

There is not enough talent or design skill in the case market at the moment, which is why ncere and co shook up the market so much and caused so many copies when they entered it. The people currently making mainstream cases have NFI what people actually want to be.

Stuff like what ncase/etc build will get copied too fast by people with much more money than us, so we have to keep things close to our chest until we are ready.
 
Personally there are too many modified parts for me to take a dive. Also what about plans of a problematic pump? Delivery/Returns are going to be a bitch and a half on both sides. Pre-assembly would take some time considering you need to leak test.
 
Only the fan is modified, and this is temporarily until a custom model is built, which we envision to take quite some time.
 
Kinda catch 22 there. IMO without a layout you have no product. I don't mean to sound like a 8==D, but I think it's a valid opinion. Most people will be attracted to a case or system by it's size, looks, and quality, not really whats in it. Maybe my opinion is biased since I'm a DIYer, and like to build my own systems. But there's not much to keep me interested in this thread if you keep everything a secret - I say this as a consumer. Not that I am looking for another case... I have 2 ncase M1's on the way. A number of Lian Li cases, and an OrigenAE S10 HTPC case that I paid ~$400 collecting dust :p
 
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If the rad and pump are integral to the case I think they should be supplied with it.
 
We arent looking for feedback on the design at the moment, just whether or not to include any/all of the listed parts.

We could probably widen a few holes for the radiator inlets to allow any 180mm radiator, but we are still locked into a specific pump with our current design iteration.

The original goal was to include an all in one cooler with CPU and GPU blocks, which was completed but our supplier backed out. We wan't to keep the design close to that, in that flexibility of the cooling hardware is reduced for maximum space conservation.

In this instance we have built the entire chassis around the cooling with not one single wasted piece, function, or feature. This is what restricts the chassis to these parts.

If people don't want to be locked into one pump or one radiator, we can understand that and make changes to the design, but once done we are locked in with our manufacturers for this.

The upside of including no parts is that the case is cheaper and you may already have some of the parts. The downside being you will not be able to get these parts as cheap as we can, so overall price is higher once your machine is built.
 
I agree that if the radiator is to be integral to the structural integrity of the case, it should be shipped fully assembled. Not doing so would simply inconvenience the consumer and possibly increase the final cost.

Keep in mind that not everyone will have the time, tools, and interest to assemble anything more than the basic parts of a PC (though your target market likely will).
 
The other thing to keep in mind is that as you increase the requirement for assembly, your population of potential customers goes down (more to the DIY side of the crowd); in addition, as you increase the requirement for particular components (and include them, of course), your population of potential customers also goes down (more to the pre-assembled side of the crowd). It's a difficult balance to strike.
 
Yes, we fully agree. We are going for something that is very high end water cooling, very quiet, with minimal extra parts to get it all going. Really all that you would ideally need is a your standard PC parts and a CPU waterblock with some tubing. Optionally a full coverage GPU block if you like. Thats it.

Which also reminds me, should we also include tubing or is that something people would prefer to customize?
 
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