CCD MI-6: Performance in a 6.7L MIcrotower

Firewolfy, do the PSU mounts allow for the PSU to be mounted with the fan facing either up or down?

There are 3 mtg holes in the case. A while back I did a review of all popular sfx psu's (Corsair, Silverstone), and they all had 6 threaded holes, to enable mounting either fan up or down.

So you are good to mount the psu either way.

Some old Silverstones and some rare brands (server use I think) had less than 6 holes and they would need to mount with the fan down.
 
-- Latest Status --

> Put new up-to-date renders on first page.

> Going to be kicking off official pre-order form later today. Pre-ordering will be in parallel with the getting the final prototype done. This will save time, help gauge support level and see if first run quantity should be increased (!)

-Fire!
 
Good news, so I am guessing this will actually work soon.

keep-calm-and-throw-money-at-the-screen.jpg
 
i am interested in this case, BUT
- imho, 235 is too expensive...
- there are too vgas that don't fit in, for example my Asus RX 460 is 204 mm or the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070 Mini (my future upgrade) that is 210 mm

maybe for MI6 V2.0, you can stretch the case for a full compatibility with every mini vga.

bye
 
i am interested in this case, BUT
- imho, 235 is too expensive...
- there are too vgas that don't fit in, for example my Asus RX 460 is 204 mm or the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070 Mini (my future upgrade) that is 210 mm

maybe for MI6 V2.0, you can stretch the case for a full compatibility with every mini vga.

bye

If this was a mass production case, Id probably agree price wise. But as with most of these cases, and given the somewhat lower demand vs say the Sentry or Ncase M1 type cases, production costs would be fairly high. It'll be a very low-number run so I think the price is about right for what it is.
 
i am interested in this case, BUT
- imho, 235 is too expensive...

There's not much less to manufacture here than in A4-SFX apart from the internal power cord, but the minimum volume of 30 units still makes it costly to manufacture. Price looks okay for such low volume production.

- there are too vgas that don't fit in, for example my Asus RX 460 is 204 mm or the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070 Mini (my future upgrade) that is 210 mm

maybe for MI6 V2.0, you can stretch the case for a full compatibility with every mini vga.

It doesn't have to fit every short card - the volume counts and each step up in the GPU support will increase the overall volume. It's Zotac's fault they are making "mini" cards that are 210 mm long while everyone else is trying to keep up to ITX board length. Question is whether gigabyte's 1070 and 1080 Mini's will fit instead.
 
If this was a mass production case, Id probably agree price wise. But as with most of these cases, and given the somewhat lower demand vs say the Sentry or Ncase M1 type cases, production costs would be fairly high. It'll be a very low-number run so I think the price is about right for what it is.
you have reason I did not think about this

about length, is true. but there are a lot of card over 19cm, like 1080ti mini
 
about length, is true. but there are a lot of card over 19cm, like 1080ti mini

There are a lot of cards that are 250+ mm long as well... You just have to draw a line at some point when designing SFF case.

There are enough 170 mm long GPUs available currently for people to be happy with the performance at this moment and if you're going for 1080TI then maybe ultra SFF chassis isn't a good match for it.
 
There are a lot of cards that are 250+ mm long as well... You just have to draw a line at some point when designing SFF case.

There are enough 170 mm long GPUs available currently for people to be happy with the performance at this moment and if you're going for 1080TI then maybe ultra SFF chassis isn't a good match for it.
To add to that, a GTX 1070 FE/not OC-ed uses about 150 Watts in real 3D heavy games. It's not magic, it only has ONE fan. Even a non-OCed GTX 1060 6GB is 120 Watts. At best, it will be running at max temps its entire life, if not thermally throttled out of its performance class in games that can use its full potential.

Looks like a great case and design.
 
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I did some temp tests with the Giga 1070 ITX. Back on page 13, post #515 there is a table with some temp tests. I got up to 73C on the Gigabyte GTX 1070 using Furmark GPU stress test at 1600x900 (and loading the CPU with Prime). So temps aren't too bad and no throttling. I didn't mess with any GPU fan settings, they were all stock.
I do not know what the new Giga 1080 itx will do, but there is a bit of headroom there on temp, so that is good.
 
Watching the Ghost S1 thread the guy is doing CPU cooler tests on their prototype, he got the best results from the Noctua NH-L12 using only the lower fan. The cooler is only 66mm tall without top fan and he was saying due to the fact that the fan is under the heatsink there is no turbulence with it being so close to the side panel. With 68mm of clearance in the MI-6 this could be a good choice.
 
I added all the possible 2.5" HDD/SSD mounting configurations to the first page. You can use this to determine how you want to configure your case.

EDIT -- It's under a spoiler button to save space.

EDITEDIT -- With the complexity of the options, let me know if you need to change your selections if you have pre-ordered already
 
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I added all the possible 2.5" HDD/SSD mounting configurations to the first page. You can use this to determine how you want to configure your case.

EDIT -- It's under a spoiler button to save space.

Thanks for the update and the email, this is what I needed to know. With so many different options I may have to reconsider the front IO.
 
Pre-Order Update

Sign ups: 28 (29 cases) Wow. Pretty much at the minimum order target after only 3 days. Thanks everyone who signed up so far.

As I wrote on the first page earlier today, there is no need to close the order sign up list until the samples are done. The final sample run is in process, so the sign ups will remain open until it is done and production is ready, about mid October.

If sign ups are much more than needed for a 30pc run, it should be possible to make the first batch larger than 30pcs, so everyone can get in on the production run.
 
A quick note to clear up any confusion about drive mounting. The tool-less 2.5" hdd/ssd mounting bracket is not required to mount 1 drive of any thickness. You can also mount 2 thin drives (7.5mm) without a bracket. Here is how:
NlRSphL.png

Hope this helps. This is from the first page under the hdd spoiler.You can find more mountingconfigs there as well.
 
I would so very much like one but haven't got the money at the moment :( Keep up the good work, really like how this case turned out!
 

Quick Status --
The list is at 38 orders now, so it is still rolling pretty good! The fab house is working on their schedule and I should know in the next few days when they will start fabricating.
 
Quick Status -- The list is at 38 orders now, so it is still rolling pretty good! The fab house is working on their schedule and I should know in the next few days when they will start fabricating.

Thanks for the update, I have been tentatively planning my build and starting to get antsy.

Looks like nVidia is getting ready to release a 1070 Ti that has nearly the performance of a 1080 at almost the same price as the 1070, hopefully they will have an itx version too.
 
One pre-order has an undeliverable email: D Bluson, if you read this forum can you PM me your email address? Thx,
 
Rohan Pinto added the MI-6 to his extensive SFF case comparison. I added a link to it on the first page under Features.
 
Status Update --
  • Fabrication shop working on the pre-production samples, says they are still working to the 4-5wk they quoted and can't expedite much. So should be about 2wks left now.
  • Case pre-orders at 43.
  • Webpage is close to done, should be able to launch this week (!)


Also, I got a request for visual comparisons of the case to others, such as the NCase M1, to better gauge size. Here are some quick renders:

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The web page for the MI-6 is up! HERE

We will still use the google form for pre-ordering for this upcoming production run, but the webpage has information, specifications and gallery. My plan is to update it with all the final prototype pics when it is done.
 
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Firewolfy I may have missed it skimming through this large thread, but do you plan to offer this case for sale after this round of pre-ordering? I'm interested for sure. This looks like a nice upgrade to my Lian Li pc-q01 which while beautiful, is not the best case for building in and constantly plagued with airflow issues.

I've blown waaay too much money on pc tinkering this year so purchasing an MI-6 would have to wait. If you've followed the Dr. Ząber Sentry thread you may have witnessed my excessive tinkering at some point.

Definitely interested in this though, it would make for a great home office pc case (that can also game when the work is over :D).
 
Firewolfy I may have missed it skimming through this large thread, but do you plan to offer this case for sale after this round of pre-ordering? I'm interested for sure. This looks like a nice upgrade to my Lian Li pc-q01 which while beautiful, is not the best case for building in and constantly plagued with airflow issues.

I've blown waaay too much money on pc tinkering this year so purchasing an MI-6 would have to wait. If you've followed the Dr. Ząber Sentry thread you may have witnessed my excessive tinkering at some point.

Definitely interested in this though, it would make for a great home office pc case (that can also game when the work is over :D).

Yeah, I plan to do a follow on run after this first one. So you can get in on it then!
 
The web page for the MI-6 is up! HERE

We will still use the google form for pre-ordering for this upcoming production run, but the webpage has information, specifications and gallery. My plan is to update it with all the final prototype pics when it is done.

Website looks great Fire.
 
Quick note, I added some more renders to the webpage to better show the case, and how it looks with components in it. Like this one:
4rTYfuzl.png
 
A quick note -- In discussions with a pre-order signee, I realized that I had an error on the sign up form: The case can only hold 2 quick-release drive mounting brackets. I had listed 3 max on the form. I have corrected it.

Only 1 customer has signed up for more than 1 of the mounting bracket, so it isn't a big deal, but just wanted to make it clear.

(The 3rd bracket mounting position, on front wall at top, was replaced by the direct mounting holes for 2 drives there).
 
And an update I posted on SFF. I'm posting it here so you can just check either site for status and updates.

The UPDATE---

Got word last week that the fab house started work on the cases. No questions or news this week from them, -I'll be talking to them on Monday to see how they are doing.

We are a go for the custom front I/O that matches the original Corsair model intended for the case, but with Much shorter cables, 30cm vs 50cm.
Had to keep some length to them, so there will be no problems reaching any MB. But easier to route.
V8umcWxl.jpg


For those who choose the front I/O, there will be no rear power button, just the opening These 2 caps will be supplied with the case to cover the opening. The cap on the left will allow running any cables out, and the one on the right will have a nice flat finish.
DEM1Wffm.jpg
 
And an update I posted on SFF. I'm posting it here so you can just check either site for status and updates.

The UPDATE---

Got word last week that the fab house started work on the cases. No questions or news this week from them, -I'll be talking to them on Monday to see how they are doing.

We are a go for the custom front I/O that matches the original Corsair model intended for the case, but with Much shorter cables, 30cm vs 50cm.
Had to keep some length to them, so there will be no problems reaching any MB. But easier to route.
V8umcWxl.jpg


For those who choose the front I/O, there will be no rear power button, just the opening These 2 caps will be supplied with the case to cover the opening. The cap on the left will allow running any cables out, and the one on the right will have a nice flat finish.
DEM1Wffm.jpg

Good news on the front I/O cables I would be happier with even shorter, but a 20cm decrease in length with definitely help.
 
Good news on the front I/O cables I would be happier with even shorter, but a 20cm decrease in length with definitely help.
Yes, some MBs have the 19-pin USB header very close to the I/O board, so there will still be some extra cable in those builds.
 
My sheet metal fabricator said they are completing all the punching today and will do the bending tomorrow on the pre-production samples. That will be followed by black anodizing, which take until mid next week. The good news is that since they are all local, I can run by take a look at them before they truck them over to me. I have a requirement in the PO to get me a full dimensional report and an onsite visual inspection before I take delivery of them.

I had a request for some pics of power buttons to see how they will look.

Here is the rear power button installed in the old first prototype MI-6 case. It is a 16mm button. A few things have changed on the back of the case such as venting, but maybe you can get a feel for how it will look.

Dscrqth.jpg



Next is the front I/O power button. The button is 3D printed white nylon that is polished but still a matte finish. The bezel ring around it is 3D printed black nylon. Here are pics and models, and a mock up in a previous-gen front panel. Boy, blue LEDs and cameras sure don't like each other. Pretty tough to get any kind of detail around the blue light.

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And here is the 3D printed button and bezel ring mocked up in an old prototype front plate:
KZWweprm.jpg

 
Hey all,

As of this evening, there are pre-orders for 60 cases. I plan to size the first run to meet all the orders, and it looks like it should be over the 50-case threshold to get the case price down $10. Not a huge savings, but still about 5%.

Pre-ordering will be open through next week at least, when I will get the pre-production samples, and make any design adjustments. Then I will notify everyone who pre-ordered to send payment. After that the final build quantity will be defined and production started.

Shipping looks on track to be a max of $25 in the US, and a max of around $50 globally (I won't ship to places like N Korea and Iran). I am working hard on keeping the shipping weight at 4 lbs or less, to get the best shipping cost. There is a chance the weight might be just over 4 lbs, which means shipping costs will increase $4-10, depending on location. I will run a test shipment with one of the samples to finalize the weight.

That's all I have right now. Be careful out there. -Fire
 
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An update --
Got word from my fabricator on Friday that they are a bit behind. Everything matches up together, but they were finishing installing pem nuts and powdercoating the chassis, and the outside cover and top were being sent out to the anodizer. Bottom line is that instead of being done yesterday, they are now shooting for next Fri Nov 3.

I am seeing if they will be able to expedite the production run so the cases can still be done before Christmas. I'll let you know when I know more.
 
Thanks for the update, was wondering how the progress was going. I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished prototype.
 
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