CCD MI-6: Performance in a 6.7L MIcrotower

The most important advancement in computing in the last 50 years was the abandonment of beige.
 
yeah but its been gone long enough that it can be cool again. all the hipsters will be rockin' beige macs within a couple years :)
 
Here is an update (I emailed out as well):

The following orders are shipping today. Note that because there were more acceptable covers available for minimalist cases right now, so some orders for cases with front I/O are having to wait for the replacement covers.

Shipping Customer Order #s: 10013, 10014, 10015, 10016, 10019, 10020, 10023.

Thx,
Fire
 
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Hopefully those that do receive their cases will share pics and impressions with those of us still waiting, at least we can drool over yours. ;)
 
Took about 45 minutes to move everything from the old case (Lian Li PC-A05B) to the MI-6.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/c4LcXCovM47nHf8x1
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LEChTqcdfHCrUhvq2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bi0QOigYS1eIoZAr2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UWd2wP2wUXqs50xz2

Gigabyte Z170N-WIFI
Core i7-6700 w/ stock Intel cooler
Intel 600p 512GB M.2 SSD
Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32GB DDR4-2400
EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming
Corsair SF450
Noctua NF-A9x14


Everything went together pretty easy. I only had one issue which was after I removed the front I/O board to install the Noctua fan. When I re-installed it, I found that 2 out of the 3 standoffs were either cross-threaded or had some debris in the threads. I worked at it a while before I got the screws to go in easily.

Really love how all of the different screws are individually bagged and labelled with exactly what they're for. Very nice touch there.

Note that due to the location of the USB3 header on this particular motherboard, I cannot fit a larger CPU cooler and still have USB3 on the front-panel unless I get an extender cable.
 
Brian_R170 said:
Took about 45 minutes to move everything from the old case (Lian Li PC-A05B) to the MI-6.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/c4LcXCovM47nHf8x1
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LEChTqcdfHCrUhvq2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bi0QOigYS1eIoZAr2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UWd2wP2wUXqs50xz2

Gigabyte Z170N-WIFI
Core i7-6700 w/ stock Intel cooler
Intel 600p 512GB M.2 SSD
Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32GB DDR4-2400
EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming
Corsair SF450
Noctua NF-A9x14


Everything went together pretty easy. I only had one issue which was after I removed the front I/O board to install the Noctua fan. When I re-installed it, I found that 2 out of the 3 standoffs were either cross-threaded or had some debris in the threads. I worked at it a while before I got the screws to go in easily.

Really love how all of the different screws are individually bagged and labelled with exactly what they're for. Very nice touch there.

Note that due to the location of the USB3 header on this particular motherboard, I cannot fit a larger CPU cooler and still have USB3 on the front-panel unless I get an extender cable.
Click to expand...

Nice build! Thanks for posting the pics.
I had that same 1060 in my case for awhile. It is like a perfect fit.

But wow, I see the problem with the USB3 header. Right across the fan. I missed that MB when I was researching what cable length would be needed for mITX boards. Seemingly all the MB's I checked had the header right next to the 24pin.

As far as the standoff screws, well the screws are installed pretty tight. There might have been some thread yielding. I'll send you some replacement screws and standoffs, just in case you need to take that apart again.
 
Brian_R170 said:
Took about 45 minutes to move everything from the old case (Lian Li PC-A05B) to the MI-6.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/c4LcXCovM47nHf8x1
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LEChTqcdfHCrUhvq2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bi0QOigYS1eIoZAr2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UWd2wP2wUXqs50xz2

Gigabyte Z170N-WIFI
Core i7-6700 w/ stock Intel cooler
Intel 600p 512GB M.2 SSD
Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32GB DDR4-2400
EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming
Corsair SF450
Noctua NF-A9x14


Everything went together pretty easy. I only had one issue which was after I removed the front I/O board to install the Noctua fan. When I re-installed it, I found that 2 out of the 3 standoffs were either cross-threaded or had some debris in the threads. I worked at it a while before I got the screws to go in easily.

Really love how all of the different screws are individually bagged and labelled with exactly what they're for. Very nice touch there.

Note that due to the location of the USB3 header on this particular motherboard, I cannot fit a larger CPU cooler and still have USB3 on the front-panel unless I get an extender cable.
Click to expand...

Build looks great, thanks for sharing some pics. I had that same motherboard previously in my Ncase, that usb 3.0 header is in a terrible location. Trying to plug it in with my Dark Rock TF was no simple job.
 
rfarmer said:
Build looks great, thanks for sharing some pics. I had that same motherboard previously in my Ncase, that usb 3.0 header is in a terrible location. Trying to plug it in with my Dark Rock TF was no simple job.
Click to expand...

Yeah, might be tough to fit a big cooler over the USB3.0 header cable that will stick out of the MB. Maybe asome sort of 90 deg adapter?

I did a quick search and found 2 Z170's that have that USB header location near the CPU: Giga G1 Gaming GA-Z170N-Gaming, and Giga GA-Z170N-WIFI.
I also found 3 270's: EVGA Z270 Stinger, Giga GA-Z270N-WIFI, Giga GA-H270N-WIFI.
For those MBs an extension will likely be needed.

Maybe Gigabyte is coming to their senses, --I noticed that their Z270N-Gaming 5 has the header back along the edge where the 24-pin is.
 
Firewolfy said:
Yeah, might be tough to fit a big cooler over the USB3.0 header cable that will stick out of the MB. Maybe asome sort of 90 deg adapter?

I did a quick search and found 2 Z170's that have that USB header location near the CPU: Giga G1 Gaming GA-Z170N-Gaming, and Giga GA-Z170N-WIFI.
I also found 3 270's: EVGA Z270 Stinger, Giga GA-Z270N-WIFI, Giga GA-H270N-WIFI.
For those MBs an extension will likely be needed.

Maybe Gigabyte is coming to their senses, --I noticed that their Z270N-Gaming 5 has the header back along the edge where the 24-pin is.
Click to expand...

Yeah they made some better design decisions. I have the Gigabyte Z370N and the usb 3.0 header is below the 24 pin. They also used SATA Express connection on the Z170 which made 4 of the SATA ports unusable in my Ncase because they were covered by the PSU.
 
Thanks for all the hard work, Fire! It's was really cool to watch your project progress from start to finish and to actually be able to buy the final product.

BTW, this case is for my 13-year-old son and he is really happy with it, too. He has two friends for which I have built very similar computers for in the past year in a Rajintek Metis Plus. He had them come over to show them the same components in the MI-6 which is almost exactly half the size.
 
rfarmer said:
Nice find, I searched all over the place for one of those about a year ago and couldn't find one. Would have been perfect for my Z170.
Click to expand...

LOL, I hadn't ever seen one, just happened to luck out and enter the right search terms.


Brian_R170 said:
Thanks for all the hard work, Fire! It's was really cool to watch your project progress from start to finish and to actually be able to buy the final product.

BTW, this case is for my 13-year-old son and he is really happy with it, too. He has two friends for which I have built very similar computers for in the past year in a Rajintek Metis Plus. He had them come over to show them the same components in the MI-6 which is almost exactly half the size.
Click to expand...

Man, I sure appreciate the kind words, thanks. It certainly is a blast working together with everyone on this. The Metis has some neat design ideas eh, like the PSU mounting and the exterior.
 
Hey,

I put this over on SFF and on the webpage, but didn't know if everyone had seen the link. For the HDD install, I made a quick video (also a link HERE). It isn't polished, but hopefully useful.


Also, there are pictograms on the back of the ID card that comes with the case showing various component mounting and build order. So when you get your case you'll have it if you need it.

Thanks,

Fire
 
Case shipping is moving a bit slow due to the anodizing issues, but I should be getting 7-8 cases shipped out tomorrow.
 
I'm still waiting for a black powder coat cover sample, but I did get a white powder coat sample cover today.

It is a 80% gloss level. I installed the white cover and mated it to a black top plate.
vgkg9es.png



I am supposed to get the black powder coated cover Monday, and I'll post it when I get it.

Right now, both black and white will be the powder coat options.

Fire

EDIT -- Here is a pic with different lighting to show the gloss:
VCi3bmI.png
 
Last edited:
Dayum. It looks great. I continue to watch this case's development of color options =D.
 
Firewolfy said:
I'm still waiting for a black powder coat cover sample, but I did get a white powder coat sample cover today.

It is a 80% gloss level. I installed the white cover and mated it to a black top plate.
vgkg9esm.png



I am supposed to get the black powder coated cover Monday, and I'll post it when I get it.

Right now, both black and white will be the powder coat options.

Fire
Click to expand...

Damn that is the one I want. :D
 
Don't know if I'd prefer glossy. Lian Li has had aluminum white cases, though I've never seen them in person, I assume they weren't glossy, and had their normal brushed finish? White witih silver top plate anyone? =)
 
Brian_R170 said:
Took about 45 minutes to move everything from the old case (Lian Li PC-A05B) to the MI-6.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/c4LcXCovM47nHf8x1
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LEChTqcdfHCrUhvq2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bi0QOigYS1eIoZAr2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UWd2wP2wUXqs50xz2

Gigabyte Z170N-WIFI
Core i7-6700 w/ stock Intel cooler
Intel 600p 512GB M.2 SSD
Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32GB DDR4-2400
EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming
Corsair SF450
Noctua NF-A9x14


Everything went together pretty easy. I only had one issue which was after I removed the front I/O board to install the Noctua fan. When I re-installed it, I found that 2 out of the 3 standoffs were either cross-threaded or had some debris in the threads. I worked at it a while before I got the screws to go in easily.

Really love how all of the different screws are individually bagged and labelled with exactly what they're for. Very nice touch there.

Note that due to the location of the USB3 header on this particular motherboard, I cannot fit a larger CPU cooler and still have USB3 on the front-panel unless I get an extender cable.
Click to expand...

Brian,

I just realized that you can use a standard Corsair front I/O board assy. It's $9.99 on the Corsair website (http://www.corsair.com/en-us/carbide-series-air-240-front-i-o-panel). The front I/O on the MI-6 has exactly the same layout as the Corsair. The differences are:
The Corsair has much longer cables.
The board is longer to include a HDD LED and a reset switch, but you can cut that end of the board off if you like (that is what I did with my prototyping).
The Corsair USB jacks are 2mm shorter, so they would be recessed in the front the 2mm.

HERE is a side-by-side of the MI-6 board and a Corsair one I used for prototyping.

EDIT-- This is all to get a longer usb cable to reach his mb 19pin header...
 
Last edited:
Firewolfy said:
Brian,

I just realized that you can use a standard Corsair front I/O board assy. It's $9.99 on the Corsair website (http://www.corsair.com/en-us/carbide-series-air-240-front-i-o-panel). The front I/O on the MI-6 has exactly the same layout as the Corsair. The differences are:
The Corsair has much longer cables.
The board is longer to include a HDD LED and a reset switch, but you can cut that end of the board off if you like (that is what I did with my prototyping).
The Corsair USB jacks are 2mm shorter, so they would be recessed in the front the 2mm.

HERE is a side-by-side of the MI-6 board and a Corsair one I used for prototyping.

EDIT-- This is all to get a longer usb cable to reach his mb 19pin header...
Click to expand...

He could also get an extension cable, as such:

www.amzn.com/B00ENH951Q
 
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Firewolfy said:
Brian,

I just realized that you can use a standard Corsair front I/O board assy. It's $9.99 on the Corsair website (http://www.corsair.com/en-us/carbide-series-air-240-front-i-o-panel).
Click to expand...

LeMoNH3aD said:
He could also get an extension cable, as such:

www.amzn.com/B00ENH951Q
Click to expand...

Sorry guys, been out of the country for a week. Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to try this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Low-Profile-...f=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1520289401

I need only about 5 inches of extra cable length, and this one is 8 inches. It also has a low profile connector to allow the cable to fit under a larger CPU cooler that sticks out above the connector. The shielding is a little sketchy, though.

I also found a 50cm similar to the one that LeMoNH3aD suggested but with a right angle connector on the motherboard end.

https://www.amazon.com/CableMod-Mod...=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1520290100

That should also work, but I'd rather not have the extra 12 inches of cable inside the case if I can help it..
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I received a sample cover and top plate, and some small sample pieces today with black powder coat. It is a matte, low texture coating.
It is pretty flat but has a slight texture and color variation depending on the lighting angle. I'm thinking to do this for the next production run.

I'm going to offer it to those still waiting for their MI-6, if they prefer it over the brushed black anodized cover that are being remade now.


pc black cover plate and sample1.jpg
pc black cover.jpg



Fire
 
Last edited:
Firewolfy said:
I received a sample cover and top plate, and some small sample pieces today with black powder coat. It is a matte, low texture coating.
It is pretty flat but has a slight texture and color variation depending on the lighting angle. I'm thinking to do this for the next production run.

I'm going to offer it to those still waiting for their MI-6, if they prefer it over the brushed black anodized cover that are being remade now.

gqpwdpnl.jpg
EZn9QgUl.jpg


Fire
Click to expand...

Really strange, the images showed in my email notification of this thread and they are showing when I am quoting your post but they aren't showing for me in your post. Just wanted to say that the powder coating looks really good.
 
That was weird. Thx for letting me know.
There was a '?1' at the end of the imgur pic links. Took that off and now it's ok I think.

EDIT -- that didn't work , so I started the link all over, and got it right now.
 
Last edited:
I wish I bought this case when I was in the waiting list :( would u be doing a second batch after you're finished with the first one or is it final?
 
Twasjesto said:
I wish I bought this case when I was in the waiting list :( would u be doing a second batch after you're finished with the first one or is it final?
Click to expand...

The plan is to do a follow on batch at higher volume to get the pricing down. Busy with this batch now, but will concentrate on the next batch when these are all shipped out.

Thanks!

Fire
 
A bit of good news today.

I received some powder coated covers today. So for those who asked for the black powder coat instead of anodizing, I'm packing your cases now, and they will ship Friday morning.

For the cases with anodized covers, the fabrication shop is finally building new covers, and about double the amount needed, to make sure to account for any anodizing scrap. I will be working with the anodizing house directly, in order to more closely monitor their quality, and having them expedite the processing. I hate to give a time estimate, but shipping these last cases of the batch within 2 weeks looks feasible.

Fire
 
Got the shipping notification for my powder coated case, looking forward to finally getting my hands on my MI-6. Thanks Fire.
 
Hello everyone,

I received my MI-6 a week ago and thought I could share my build in it.



Specs:
  • Biostar X370GTN
  • Ryzen 7 1700 @ 3.7 GHz
  • 32 GB G.Skill RipJaws V @ 2933 MHz, CL 16-18-18-38
  • Gigabyte GTX 1080 Mini ITX 8 G
  • 525 GB Crucial MX300 M.2 SSD
  • 2 TB Seagate 5400 rpm HDD
  • 800W Silverstone SX800-LTI SFX-L PSU
Here are some pics (sorry about the messy "cable-management" :rolleyes:)

1.png 2.png 4.png
6.png 3.png 8.png


The MI-6 compared to my old ATX-Case
9.png 10.png


The MI-6 on my desk

11.png 12.png



Building in the MI-6:

Thanks to the instructions on the backside of the "owner certificate" I was able to fit everything without big issues into the case.

A tipp from me for future builds in the case would be to detach the mounting of the riser cable, than fit your GPU onto it, than reatach everything back in the case. I had trouble fitting my GTX 1080 without removing the mounting.

One thing that literally came up was my PSU. At first, it didn't seem to fit with the fan facing down, the mounting holes were 0.5 mm too low for the screws to fit. The other way around, I could've fixed the PSU in the case, but that way it would suck in the warm air from the CPU and GPU.
As it turns out, I just had to remove the 120 mm fan grill that was a little bulky and so pushed the PSU up. Now, the PSU is fitting with its fan facing down, like it was in my old case.

5.png 7.png




One very positiv thing about the MI-6 is that the motherboard-panel snapped right into its mounting hole. My other cases I had till then pushed the metal plate out every two seconds, and I had to hold it in while mounting the mainboard. So, thumbs up for that (y).

No, but seriously, building my PC in the MI-6 was fun and straigh forward, and seeing all my hardware cramped into so little space is very cool.

Temps and Noise:

Due to the Wraith Spire from the 1700, I am not able to fit the metal outer shell onto the case, and it's currently in a kind of "open bench"-state of build.

(My first idea for cooling was supposed to be a little surprise: I wanted to fit the Asetek 545LC in the place of the 92 mm bottom fan. I kinda "macgyvered" a video from Linus Tech Tips, and measured the pixels of a screenshot, so I could evaluate wether the 92 mm radiator would fit into the fan mount with its tubes attached to one side or not. To my own luck, I figured out that, only with a SFX-PSU, wich I don't have, there was enough room for the bottom fan. Maybe one of you would like to try this ridiculous idea?)

CPU-temps were quiet the same as before, with idling temps around 47 °C, but never exceeding 50/52 °C during gaming. During benchmarks or video-encoding using handbrake, the temps rose up to around 70 °C, but that was also the maximum all around.
The GTX 1080 reached 72 °C during 30 min of Valley-Benchmark (recorded video of that run was unfortunately corrupted, so I can't upload the evidence), during gaming it lies between 55 to sometimes 84 °C.



CPU-Z und GPU-Z.pngCPU-Z.jpg Heaven.pngbenchmark.pngNew Score.pngI got you.pngCinebench R15.png Time Spy.png

03012020 - Cinebench.png 03012019 - Timespy.pngCinebench R20 13032020.pngTimespy 13032020.pngOctaneBench 13032020.PNG

CPU-Z and GPU-Z Windows as well as Heaven Benchmark

The noise level is expected for this kind of specific hardware. The loudest component is probably the GPU, with its 92 mm fan spinning up audibly under stress. Because of that, I can't really tell if I could hear the CPU or PSU fan, but they should be much quieter, especially the PSU one. The next noisy component is the HDD, but that might be because it is sitting right in the front of the case, facing directly towards me. But with the metal shell sitting on the case, the noise could be a little bit more damped, with likely higher temps. But I can't test that now.
Also, the noise level doesn't bother me as much, because I usually listen to music or gaming audio over headphones. Anyway, I will maybe change out the gpu fan for a stronger and quieter one from Noctua or another company, so I am more on the safer side.



What comes next:

The very next step would be to either get custom and much shorter PSU cables, or to buy a new CPU-cooler, so I can fit the metal case around the rest of the MI-6.
After that, I am thinking if I should upgrade to an 1800x (or the next gen Ryzen) or to an 8700K due to its much higher clock speed. Either way, I should change out my mainboard, as it seems to be a little unstable from time to time (it has only one 12 V CPU power connection too ...)

Again, a big "Thank You!" to Fred for creating and selling this awesome case :D.
And I look forward to see your builds in the MI-6.
 

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Last edited:
GermanDrifter97 said:
Hello everyone,

I received my MI-6 a week ago and thought I could share my build in it.



Specs:
  • Biostar X370GTN
  • Ryzen 7 1700 @ 3.7 GHz
  • 32 GB G.Skill RipJaws V @ 2933 MHz, CL 16-18-18-38
  • Gigabyte GTX 1080 Mini ITX 8 G
  • 525 GB Crucial MX300 M.2 SSD
  • 2 TB Seagate 5400 rpm HDD
  • 800W Silverstone SX800-LTI SFX-L PSU
Here are some pics (sorry about the messy "cable-management" :rolleyes:)

View attachment 59549 View attachment 59550 View attachment 59552
View attachment 59554 View attachment 59551 View attachment 59556


The MI-6 compared to my old ATX-Case
View attachment 59557 View attachment 59559


The MI-6 on my desk

View attachment 59560 View attachment 59561



Building in the MI-6:

Thanks to the instructions on the backside of the "owner certificate" I was able to fit everything without big issues into the case.

A tipp from me for future builds in the case would be to detach the mounting of the riser cable, than fit your GPU onto it, than reatach everything back in the case. I had trouble fitting my GTX 1080 without removing the mounting.

One thing that literally came up was my PSU. At first, it didn't seem to fit with the fan facing down, the mounting holes were 0.5 mm too low for the screws to fit. The other way around, I could've fixed the PSU in the case, but that way it would suck in the warm air from the CPU and GPU.
As it turns out, I just had to remove the 120 mm fan grill that was a little bulky and so pushed the PSU up. Now, the PSU is fitting with its fan facing down, like it was in my old case.

View attachment 59553 View attachment 59555




One very positiv thing about the MI-6 is that the motherboard-panel snapped right into its mounting hole. My other cases I had till then pushed the metal plate out every two seconds, and I had to hold it in while mounting the mainboard. So, thumbs up for that (y).

No, but seriously, building my PC in the MI-6 was fun and straigh forward, and seeing all my hardware cramped into so little space is very cool.

Temps and Noise:

Due to the Wraith Spire from the 1700, I am not able to fit the metal outer shell onto the case, and it's currently in a kind of "open bench"-state of build.

(My first idea for cooling was supposed to be a little surprise: I wanted to fit the Asetek 545LC in the place of the 92 mm bottom fan. I kinda "macgyvered" a video from Linus Tech Tips, and measured the pixels of a screenshot, so I could evaluate wether the 92 mm radiator would fit into the fan mount with its tubes attached to one side or not. To my own luck, I figured out that, only with a SFX-PSU, wich I don't have, there was enough room for the bottom fan. Maybe one of you would like to try this ridiculous idea?)

CPU-temps were quiet the same as before, with idling temps around 47 °C, but never exceeding 50/52 °C during gaming. During benchmarks or video-encoding using handbrake, the temps rose up to around 70 °C, but that was also the maximum all around.
The GTX 1080 reached 72 °C during 30 min of Valley-Benchmark (recorded video of that run was unfortunately corrupted, so I can't upload the evidence), during gaming it lies between 55 to sometimes 84 °C.

The noise level is expected for this kind of specific hardware. The loudest component is probably the GPU, with its 92 mm fan spinning up audibly under stress. Because of that, I can't really tell if I could hear the CPU or PSU fan, but they should be much quieter, especially the PSU one. The next noisy component is the HDD, but that might be because it is sitting right in the front of the case, facing directly towards me. But with the metal shell sitting on the case, the noise could be a little bit more damped, with likely higher temps. But I can't test that now.
Also, the noise level doesn't bother me as much, because I usually listen to music or gaming audio over headphones. Anyway, I will maybe change out the gpu fan for a stronger and quieter one from Noctua or another company, so I am more on the safer side.



What comes next:

The very next step would be to either get custom and much shorter PSU cables, or to buy a new CPU-cooler, so I can fit the metal case around the rest of the MI-6.
After that, I am thinking if I should upgrade to an 1800x (or the next gen Ryzen) or to an 8700K due to its much higher clock speed. Either way, I should change out my mainboard, as it seems to be a little unstable from time to time (it has only one 12 V CPU power connection too ...)



Again, a big "Thank You!" to Fred for creating and selling this awesome case :D.
And I look forward to see your builds in the MI-6.
Click to expand...


Nice build, and a 1080 to boot!

That PSU and the cabling from Silverstone are both impressively big!
One thing I did on my Corsair PSU was removed the excess length and unused connectors from the SATA power cable, and just reinstalled the end connector back on the string to capture the end of the ribbon cable. Don't know if you can do that on SIlverstone though.

That Wraith Spire is 69-70mm tall right? There is only about 68mm of room, so yeah you are stuck with it not fitting inside the cover. Maybe swap the fan for a thin 92?

It's great to see another build out there, and glad you snapped some pics.
 
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