CCD MI-6: Performance in a 6.7L MIcrotower

Why not stick with MI-6? Is there anything wrong with that name?

One thing I did notice is that the riser I got from Li-Heat is different than the one listed on Lian-Li (and mnpctech.com), as mine has strain-reliefs where the flat cable is soldered to the boards. Maybe that ws response to a Lian Li issue?

The strain reliefs were planned and prototyped a long time ago (over one and a half years, IIRC), but not finished for mass production before LianLi brought their PC-O series to market. I also tried to find any posts online about people having issues with the risers, but didn't find anything.
 
Was not the "MI-6" supposed to designate "mini ITX" & "6 liter"…?

Makes me automatically think of MI6, Her Majesty's Secret Service, the British spy organization that James Bond works for…

But now we are at 6.7 liters in volume…
 
Be careful with those plastic strain relief pieces on the risers - I found that they interfere with some motherboard headers that are very close to the PCIe slot. We did inform Li-Heat of this issue, but I don't know if they ever updated the design.

The new Lian Li risers are interesting. It does look like they're twin axial cables like the 3M. Not a lot of companies making these, so I do wonder who the supplier is.
 
Was not the "MI-6" supposed to designate "mini ITX" & "6 liter"…?

Makes me automatically think of MI6, Her Majesty's Secret Service, the British spy organization that James Bond works for…

But now we are at 6.7 liters in volume…


We are on the same page man. I'll just keep truncating the .7, unless it gets much closer to 7, then I'll call it Mi-7? That might be Her Majesty's Dogcatching Service....
 
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What cube do you have? Lian Li?

Putting the 92mm fan in the bottom of the Mi-6 blowing right at SSDs should help keep the hot case air away.

I am looking at increasing the exhaust vent area, but testing will drive that.
Jonsbo v3, and that is even with the 120mm PSU fan as an exhaust, 1 60mm fan intake under the GPU and one 60mm exhaust on the side
my GTX670 puts out quite a bit of heat :D
 
Be careful with those plastic strain relief pieces on the risers - I found that they interfere with some motherboard headers that are very close to the PCIe slot. We did inform Li-Heat of this issue, but I don't know if they ever updated the design.

The new Lian Li risers are interesting. It does look like they're twin axial cables like the 3M. Not a lot of companies making these, so I do wonder who the supplier is.

Do you know which MBs had interference problems with the strain relief? I saw a couple of Z170 boards that have a SATA close by and the EVGA has the USB3 jack nearby:

EVGA%20Z170%20itx%20mb%20riser%20interference1.jpg
Giga%20GA-Z170N%20itx%20mb%20riser%20interference1.jpg
 
Do you know which MBs had interference problems with the strain relief? I saw a couple of Z170 boards that have a SATA close by and the EVGA has the USB3 jack nearby:
Specifically, the strain relief interfered with the audio header on the P8Z77-i Deluxe, which is down in the bottom-rear corner of the board, just past the end of the PCIe slot. The part where the strain relief is screwed into the riser PCB is about 2.5mm too close to the motherboard.

As far as the SATA ports, I don't think they should be an issue.
 
Ok, yeah i see that when I googled that mb. I checked a bunch of Z170's, and some H's and dont see that placement occurring again. I'll add that check to the mb spreadsheet I have just to be sure.
 
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Very nice. Even if the welding at the rear of the cover doesn't look that good yet, it seems like a good approach. If done well, it should look very good. How are you securing the panels right now? Just double sided tape I suppose?
The perforated panels are just taped in for testing. - using thin tape to not block many holes.
 
Firewolfy,

Just read through the heat and airflow discussion.

I'm very interested to see what the thermal performance of your design will be. I think the difference between having the bottom case fan installed or not will be fairly significant.

Also in regards to the argument of the case getting warm to the touch as a result of the thermal conductance of aluminum as a material is a sign that heat is not being moved out of the case efficiently enough to prevent that kind of build-up. Obviously, in extreme SFF designs compromises are going to have to be made but I wouldn't call that good thermal performance. Perhaps some kind of an intake shroud could be used to help mitigate the biggest heat monster in the case (GPU). Also something that needs to be considered is how much of the exhaust heat from the GPU blower will be reintroduced through the side ports in common desktop locations (ie a wall close to the rear of the case, or potentially in a corner situation).

Good thermal management is always going to pose serious concerns. I hope the design works out well once you've got a good test setup installed.

Sidenote: what software are you using to design this in? SketchUp?
 
Firewolfy,

Just read through the heat and airflow discussion.

I'm very interested to see what the thermal performance of your design will be. I think the difference between having the bottom case fan installed or not will be fairly significant.

Also in regards to the argument of the case getting warm to the touch as a result of the thermal conductance of aluminum as a material is a sign that heat is not being moved out of the case efficiently enough to prevent that kind of build-up. Obviously, in extreme SFF designs compromises are going to have to be made but I wouldn't call that good thermal performance. Perhaps some kind of an intake shroud could be used to help mitigate the biggest heat monster in the case (GPU). Also something that needs to be considered is how much of the exhaust heat from the GPU blower will be reintroduced through the side ports in common desktop locations (ie a wall close to the rear of the case, or potentially in a corner situation).

Good thermal management is always going to pose serious concerns. I hope the design works out well once you've got a good test setup installed.

Sidenote: what software are you using to design this in? SketchUp?
Great post, thanks for it.

Yes, my concern too has been that whatever temp the air is coming out of the cpu and gpu is the temp that the case internals will reach.

That coupled with hdds and ssds not liking temps above 55 or 70 means that for best performance we need to get cool air in there around those guys.

I am going to monitor case wall, air and component temps when i test.

You know i started the case design trying to isolate the gpu side and its hot air from the cpu, memory and hdd/ssds. It was tough to do it with a divider wall though. It think the bottom cooler will help that by driving all the air up and out.

On the issue of side panel ventilation, yes you are right the case can't have anything against the sides blocking airflow. Well maybe some sort of standoff feature would help. Yeah, because no one wants to fry their new 1060 or 1070 because they accidently left a book ul against the case.

Software is SolidEdge cad, kinda like Solidworks.

Edit: I re-read your post, i dont think being close to a rear wall will hurt too much, since most of the exhaust opening is on top.
 
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Regarding the pcie riser discussions the other day and the new pcie riser thread:

The Mi-6 case is currently designed for the LiHeat riser.

I asked LiHeat today about any problems with their pcie riser and the Lian Li change to another riser.

They said they are revising their riser to: 1. Adjust the strain releif design to prevent interference on some pcie jacks. 2. Revise the power wires design to carry more amps.

They said they have been supplying Lian Li consistently and just shipped to them in July.

Their emails look like they converted from Chinese so it is a bit hard to understand details and nuances. I asked for clarification on why there are additional riser models on the Lian Li site and if they have had performance problems.

I will post as more info comes out. Note, i will be testing the LiHeat riser (300mm) in this case.
 
Oh, and 1 more update -- I weighed the case with the USB/Audio pcb cable, the PCIE riser, the power switch and most screws and it came in right at 3 lbs. I'll put that on the front page.
 
Firewolfy, since air intake is expected to come from the side panels, I've mocked up what I think may be a potential issue regarding airflow with a wall close to the rear. Remember the GPU will be exhausting air out of the rear at a high speed under load causing air deflection and allowing the heated air to reenter the case, how much of an impact this may have is difficult to tell.

#mspaintftw

Untitled.png
 
Firewolfy, since air intake is expected to come from the side panels, I've mocked up what I think may be a potential issue regarding airflow with a wall close to the rear. Remember the GPU will be exhausting air out of the rear at a high speed under load causing air deflection and allowing the heated air to reenter the case, how much of an impact this may have is difficult to tell.

#mspaintftw

Untitled.png

Keep i mind that the assorted cables on the rear of the chassis are going to force the chassis to 'stand off' a certain distance from said wall…

And ANY chassis with a GPU that vents thru the rear bracket is going to have the same issue you are outlining, it is not a phenomena unique to the MI-6…
 
Keep i mind that the assorted cables on the rear of the chassis are going to force the chassis to 'stand off' a certain distance from said wall…

And ANY chassis with a GPU that vents thru the rear bracket is going to have the same issue you are outlining, it is not a phenomena unique to the MI-6…

Boil, you are correct, but in such a small chassis little nuances like that may have a more pronounced affect on performance. I'm not trying to be doom and gloom about it, just raising the possibility that this might be something to check for during testing.
 
Remember the GPU will be exhausting air out of the rear at a high speed under load causing air deflection and allowing the heated air to reenter the case, how much of an impact this may have is difficult to tell.

#mspaintftw

Untitled.png

I'd say the vast majority of the air exiting the case will do so through the top. Why? There aren't any blower-style cards at sub-20cm (that I know). So, and although non-blowers might exhaust something out of the back... they tend to exhaust from the front (since that is the least resistance path) or the top (depending on the orientation of the fans on the heatsink.

In any case, this problem is the same as the one you would encounter when using any computer case that is enclosed... but considering that this case has a bottom intake I wouldn't be too worried about it. Specially since the sheer gpu size limitation will not allow high-powered gpu's to be installed.
 
Regarding GPUs, i am hoping to get the Gigabyte 1070 ITX for my test build. Giga showed off their gpu near the beginning of July, but it still isn't for sale yet. Worst case I'll get a 1060 by zotac or evga, if i get tired of waiting.

Quick status update--
Computer components for testing, except gpu, on order and due in by early next week. I7-6700K, 850 evo ssd, Fatality z170 mb, 16G ddr4 ram, Corsair sf450, Big shiriken cooler.

I also ordered a IS-60 cooler, but that is a week or so out.
 
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Regarding GPUs, i am hoping to get the Gigabyte 1070 ITX for my test build. Giga showed off their gpu near the beginning of July, but it still isn't for sale yet. Worst case I'll get a 1060 by zotac or evga, if i get tired of waiting.

Quick status update--
Computer components for testing, except gpu, on order and due in by early next week. I7-6700K, 850 evo ssd, Fatality z170 mb, 16G ddr4 ram, Corsair sf450, Big shiriken cooler.

I also ordered a IS-60 cooler, but that is a week or so out.

Looking forward for the testing results. Please consider temperatures of all components that you can monitor and the noise output of your system, and bear in mind that in order to saturate your case you will need several hours of high-load on the case. I'm not talking about artificial loads such as Prime95 + Heaven benchmark (as artificial loads like that aren't realistic and, thus, aren't useful), but something along the lines of playing a demanding computer game (I found that The Division is very taxing) for a long session. Or, as you might not have time to spend on gaming, looping a game benchmark for a few hours should also do.

Also, I had never heard of "IS-60 cooler" before. Looks massive with the 6 heatpipes it has. Do you plan to overclock the cpu?
 
Thx for the thoughts on testing. I will measure temps at various places. The only thing i dont have is a soundmeter so ill womt do that, just subjective results there.

I want to test some big coolers and define exactly how much, if any, overclocking is feasible for that popular high end cpu.
 
Thx for the thoughts on testing. I will measure temps at various places. The only thing i dont have is a soundmeter so ill womt do that, just subjective results there.

I want to test some big coolers and define exactly how much, if any, overclocking is feasible for that popular high end cpu.

I wouldn't worry about measuring various places with probes and such. But do try to populate all your drive positions with actual drives (mechanicals are more sensible than solid state ones), and something like hwmonitor or any other should be good enough to get all the raw data and compare it later on. Also, subjective noise testing is fine, but you could also maybe explore the differences in rpm (provided you keep temperatures the same) with panels on and off. I mention the rpm's because they are a universal indicative of noise: I might be a bit def but I'm sure that you know how pleasant a fan at 3k rpm is :joyful:

All in all, try to find a software that allows you to monitor rpm's and temperatures for all the components you have in the computer, and that allows you to export the raw data to excel. This way you can plot said data into a chart that makes comparing and checking stuff waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay easier, as it only involves opening the software, start registering the monitoring data and using the computer. Since you mention that you want to test several different coolers you want to have a "benchmarking procedure" that is as easy to follow as possible, whilst maintaining some consistency and accurate results.

PS: case keeps getting better every day. Keep it up!
 
Regarding GPUs, i am hoping to get the Gigabyte 1070 ITX for my test build. Giga showed off their gpu near the beginning of July, but it still isn't for sale yet. Worst case I'll get a 1060 by zotac or evga, if i get tired of waiting.

Quick status update--
Computer components for testing, except gpu, on order and due in by early next week. I7-6700K, 850 evo ssd, Fatality z170 mb, 16G ddr4 ram, Corsair sf450, Big shiriken cooler.

I also ordered a IS-60 cooler, but that is a week or so out.

Cool deal, looking forward to seeing testing & temp results for same…

Any plans to swap out the included fan on the IS-60 for a 25mm thick one (either a 120mm or a 140mm with a 120mm bolt pattern) to see what the results are with the CPU side vent virtually FILLED with fan &RIGHT up on said panel…?

Also, any plans to test M.2 SSDs (SATA III & NVMe models) for temps & any possible throttling of same…?!?

Another question in regards to the IS-60 HSF, please check & verify maximum RAM clearance with same…

I am kinda thinking about just going with a compact Cryorig C7 in this chassis as well (more for having the ability to put some tall G.Skill Ripjaws DDR4 RAM in there, running at 3200MHz with a CAS latency of 14…), and curious on how that might perform, seeing as how it would be 18mm back from the side panel…

Thanks Firewolfy, you are doing God's Work with this chassis…!

I am at this point kinda wondering what could be possible with an ASRock X99 mITX MB & a Broadwell-E CPU (i7 6800K would be more than enough horsepower) & a theoretical mITX-sized GTX 1080…!

Now THAT would make for a beastly little gaming rig…!!!
 
Hmm…

Two grand for a H170 MB / i5 6500 CPU / 16GB DDR4 2133 RAM / Samsung 2.5" 500GB SATA III SSD / GTX 1060 build; INCLUDING the chassis, chassis fan & custom cables AND all peripherals (keyboard, mouse, monitor, UPS, headphones, game controller & HOTAS) AND a new desk & chair…

OR…!!!

Two grand for a X99 MB / i7 6800K CPU / 32GB DDR4 3200 RAM / Intel 2.5" 400GB NVMe SSD / GTX 1070 build; ONLY including chassis, chassis fan & custom cables…

Hmm, indeed…!!!

EDIT - EDIT - EDIT

Doubts on the possibility of using the Intel 2.5" NVMe SSD with the ASRock X99 MB; as the (forthcoming) M.2 version of the interface cable would have to immediately bend back 180 degrees to route to the SSD, this might put unnecessary strain on the cable & might push up on the 'backside' of the rear i/o next to the M.2 slot…

Current high end projected build for this chassis is now coming full circle to initial projected build:

Asus M8I MB
Intel i7 6700K CPU
Cryorig C7 HSF
G.Skill Ripjaws DDR4 3200 RAM (2 @ 16GB DIMMs)
Intel 750 Series 400GB 2.5" NVMe SSD
Gigabyte GTX 1070 mITX GPU
Noctua NF-L9x14 chassis fan
Corsair SF600 SFX PSU
Custom cable set

Now, I would REALLY love to see Asus come out with a mITX version of a GTX 1070…

But I would really, Really, REALLY love to see Asus come out with a mITX version of a GTX 1080…!

THAT would be the Holy Grail of mITX GPUs…!!!
 
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Okay, now hear me out on this…!

What about making the side openings both a uniform size & placement…

And then adding in slim (14mm…?) 140mm fans mounted to the inside face of said openings…

Said side vent openings sized just right to only allow air in from the 140mm fans, of course…

Shroud & fan off of the GPU, plug the GPU-side 140mm fan into the GPU fan header on the GPU…

Passive heat sink (or, included fan removed from otherwise appropriate HSF unit) on the CPU, plug the CPU-side 140mm fan into the CPU fan header on the MB…

Slim 92mm on the bottom of the chassis is plugged into the Chassis fan header on the MB…

With this set up we would see a definite positive pressure chassis, and the only way for air to escape would be the top & rear venting…!

For the removal of the chassis cover (of which the two 140mm slim fans are attached), maybe have a connector mid-length on the fan cables; no worries with trying to attach/detach from the GPU / MB…?

The top venting would be one large unified section spanning both chambers (CPU / GPU), rather than the two sections it currently is…

The 140mm fans (especially with the aforementioned mid-cable connectors) would need to be included with the chassis…

Clearance needed for the slim 140mm fan on the GPU side might require budging the MB tray / chamber divider beck over towards the CPU side; this should still allow a decent quality passive heat sink (or, again, an appropriate HSF with the included fan removed) to be used on the CPU; even with an 11mm 'budge over', the IS-60 could still be implemented, with it nestling right up against the slim 140mm fan mounted on the inside face of the chassis shell…
 
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Secondary (retrospective) thought towards fan mounting…

Brackets that bolt into chassis frame to mount the 140mm fans, so not mid-cable connectors needed (which means no 'custom' fans needed, nor inclusion with chassis needed)…

Toolless design for brackets; mount fan to bracket, plug in fan to appropriate header, drop bracket onto mounts similar to HDD / SDD mounting methods; 'keyed' openings on fan bracket; mounting 'studs' (with included rubber shock mount rings) on inner faces of front & rear chassis frame…

Install all intervals first, install fans on brackets, plug in fans, install fan/bracket assemblies, install chassis shell…

Side openings still sized specifically to match fans (140mm circle pattern) with a sort of 'weatherstripping' material applied to the inside perimeter of the side opening to make for a good seal between fan & inside face of side panel venting area…

I guess that would be a trade-off on the items included with the chassis; the end user supplies the slim (14mm) 140mm fans, but the chassis now includes the fan brackets & the 'weatherstripping'…
 
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Alrighty then, I have returned to Planet Earth…!!!

This is the build I am planning for this chassis, not a high-end enthusiast build, but should definitely get the job done for 1080p gaming…

Motherboard: MSI H170I Pro AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SC GAMING Video Card
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A9x14 29.7 CFM 92mm Fan
Power Supply: Corsair SF 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply

I already have the SF600; so with a projected cost of US$150.00 for the MI-6 chassis, I should be able to assemble the above for a cool grand…

Depending on how much I can do with the included cables on the PSU, I may or may not add another 125 bucks for a set of customs cables (mainly to reduce overall cable clutter)…
 
Boil,
Great to see all the ideas man! I must say, some have me thinking "oh my gosh that 's a serious redesign!," but that is fine. I'm kinda doing the same thing, always thinking of options and alternatives to improve the case. The fans fixed to the covers or to a bracket is interesting. As you say, it would simplify the intake ventilation not having to account for all the CPU locations. Don't know how to interface the fan to the heat sink though. Needs some thought.

System build looks good, and PSU headroom to go to 1070 or 1080 if they ever come out!
 
The CPU side fan would NOT be attached to the heat sink…

The end user would use either a dedicated passive heat sink (something like the Dynatron T318, but for the 1151 socket), or an appropriate HSF (Heat Sink / Fan combo) with the accompanying fan removed…

Same on the GPU side, removal of the GPU shrouding & fan, leaving the 'passive heat sink' already mounted to the GPU; the GPU side mounted fan is 'sealed' via the 'weatherstripping' to the side venting (when shell is installed, there is never an actual sealed as in glued down fitting between the shell & the side fans) and the side fan blows into the GPU chamber…

'Sealing' the chassis shell to the fans (secondary thought of fans on brackets edition) would cause the CPU & GPU intakes, along with the bottom intake chassis fan, to place a goodly bit of positive pressure in the chassis, thereby causing virtually all the hot air to be expelled via the top venting with a bit dumping out the lesser rear venting…
 
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But do not get me wrong, the chassis as it currently sits (with the manufacturing / quality control issues that you have outlined corrected, of course) will MORE than serve my needs…!!!

If the QC'ed & finished product were available RIGHT NOW, I would be working on getting the 150 bucks together to place an order ASAP…!!!

I think I am really settled on the component list I last posted; yes, it is easy to bump the specs here & there, but then the build gets silly expensive…

As I outlined six posts up, and using the build list a few posts up, I can put together a very nicely appointed gaming rig, with ALL peripherals and a new desk & chair for two grand…

That really is not a bad deal at all…

When does the ordering website go live again…?!?

;^p
 
This case in Red, Yellow, Green, Black, Purple or White would be amazing. Well done!
 
Cool deal, looking forward to seeing testing & temp results for same…

Any plans to swap out the included fan on the IS-60 for a 25mm thick one (either a 120mm or a 140mm with a 120mm bolt pattern) to see what the results are with the CPU side vent virtually FILLED with fan &RIGHT up on said panel…?

Also, any plans to test M.2 SSDs (SATA III & NVMe models) for temps & any possible throttling of same…?!?

Another question in regards to the IS-60 HSF, please check & verify maximum RAM clearance with same…

I am kinda thinking about just going with a compact Cryorig C7 in this chassis as well (more for having the ability to put some tall G.Skill Ripjaws DDR4 RAM in there, running at 3200MHz with a CAS latency of 14…), and curious on how that might perform, seeing as how it would be 18mm back from the side panel…

Thanks Firewolfy, you are doing God's Work with this chassis…!

I am at this point kinda wondering what could be possible with an ASRock X99 mITX MB & a Broadwell-E CPU (i7 6800K would be more than enough horsepower) & a theoretical mITX-sized GTX 1080…!

Now THAT would make for a beastly little gaming rig…!!!

As far as the IS-60 and a different fan, I don't know yet. I have a standard 25mm x 120mm corsair I could try.
The SSD is a M.2 style (SATA to save money tho) and wil lbe on the back of the MB, so that should give some good temp and throttling results!
 
Hi guys I've been looking at allot of Small Itx cases and I'm really impressed with the design of this one

I'm interested in buying it, I do have some questions about the case though.

How much clearance is there for mounting in the 92mm fan spot? (on the bottom of the chassis)

I was thinking depending on the clearance it might be possible to mount an Asetek 545LC 92mm Liquid CPU cooler

If not I'd probably use a IS-60 if it fits. (if your testing that I'd like to know)

Either way I'm really excited for this chassis and you're doing great work!
 
How much clearance is there for mounting in the 92mm fan spot? (on the bottom of the chassis)

I was thinking depending on the clearance it might be possible to mount an Asetek 545LC 92mm Liquid CPU cooler!

The 92mm fan area can only fit a slim 14mm fan, anything taller (including your referenced AIO) will interfere with the cables coming out of the PSU…

Check the pics in the thread…
 
Hi guys I've been looking at allot of Small Itx cases and I'm really impressed with the design of this one

I'm interested in buying it, I do have some questions about the case though.

How much clearance is there for mounting in the 92mm fan spot? (on the bottom of the chassis)

I was thinking depending on the clearance it might be possible to mount an Asetek 545LC 92mm Liquid CPU cooler

If not I'd probably use a IS-60 if it fits. (if your testing that I'd like to know)

Either way I'm really excited for this chassis and you're doing great work!
Hey Zx, thx for the kind words man. As far as space, a 92mm is a close fit between the front of the case as the psu. So how far up the psu connectors are is what limits fan or radiator height. I measured room from bottom of case up to the corsair psu connectors and there is maybe 25mm max, so a rad won't fit down there.
EDIT - The connector locking tabs would be against the fan or rad so ht needs to less than 25, maybe 15 or 20 to be able to unlatch conns while the fan is there.
 
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Quick update -- I got the powder coated prototype case back yesterday. It has the textured black finish everywhere except the front plate, which is a satin finish.

And I have mb, psu, cpu, cooler, ssd and memory!

I'll get some pics up tonight.
 
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Quick update -- I got the powder coated prototype case back yesterday. It has the textured black finish everywhere except the front plate, which is a satin finish.

And I have mb, psu, cpu, cooler, ssd and memory!

I'll get some pics up tonight.

Dude, you SUCK…!!!

I rolled up to the sub-forum today…

I see my favorite thread has been updated…

I see it has been updated by the Master himself…

I immediately think to myself, "Those parts out for powder coat should be back by now…"

I then think, "Cool, looks like we get to see some pics of MI-6 Proto v2 with a finish applied…"

But then; nothing, nothing but a tease…!!!

ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH…!!!

Looking forward to the pics (and still waiting on that build video)…!
 
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