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NCASE M1: a crowdfunded Mini-ITX case (updates in first post)
- Thread starter wahaha360
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wahaha360
Gawd
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One solution is to have an LED power button on the I/O. Since the I/O is custom anyways, the marginal cost for an LED power button should be insignificant.
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The question is what color the LED should be.
I'd go for white.
i vote black.
but seriously HDD indicators are the absolute worst. is your computer not asleep or off? ok then the HDD is being accessed, no need for a constantly-flashing light to tell you that. i have never understood them, and never plugged them in. for power light, i vote white too, or possibly a light blue. red would be very distracting and clashing, and the dark blue LEDs are always too bright. green is ok but i think it would look weird.
I like this idea
It's not a bad idea, though a 22mm switch is a bit too big and crowds the front I/O. But a 16mm switch is potentially doable:
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Machupo
Gravity Tester
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yeah, I like my 16mm vandal switch -- not too big
i dont think its reasonable to sell a case without a power switch. if it doesnt add too much cost (get wholesale price from the manufacturer?) then you could install a vandal switch of some default color with each case. then if an owner really wants a different color they can just buy their own and its an easy swap out. if it adds too much to the cost then maybe some cheaper lighted switch can be found.
^ agreed. but then so would red. and purple. and blue. thats why i think it just has to be whatever is going to be most popular, and then people can easily replace it with any other color. necere, how hard would it be to make a couple renders of silver/white with a couple good colors (white, ice blue) and some of black with a couple good colors (orange, red, purple, white) or whatever you feel looks good? i know these images can take a long time to render but if you can do a few then maybe it can be put to a vote for the default color. also i just want to drool at some sexy case pics.
oh and another thing i noticed. if those mic/headphone ports are going to be color coded, then i think it would look a lot better without the writing. everyone knows green is headphone and pink is mic. tons of cases do it that way, and since this is meant to be such a sleek, minimalist case i think it would really help the look.
thats why i think it just has to be whatever is going to be most popular, and then people can easily replace it with any other color. necere, how hard would it be to make a couple renders of silver/white with a couple good colors (white, ice blue) and some of black with a couple good colors (orange, red, purple, white) or whatever you feel looks good? i know these images can take a long time to render but if you can do a few then maybe it can be put to a vote for the default color. also i just want to drool at some sexy case pics. oh and another thing i noticed. if those mic/headphone ports are going to be color coded, then i think it would look a lot better without the writing. everyone knows green is headphone and pink is mic. tons of cases do it that way, and since this is meant to be such a sleek, minimalist case i think it would really help the look.
Machupo
Gravity Tester
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This -- a good enough / standard switch with the production case, but of a "standard aftermarket" size (i.e. a 16mm hole in the case) so individuals could swap to their own taste.
Much easier than trying to please everyone w/ a single color.
Also, I could go without "mic" and "ear"; side benefit of allowing the plugs themselves to be centered on the line running through the power button and USB3 ports
This -- a good enough / standard switch with the production case, but of a "standard aftermarket" size (i.e. a 16mm hole in the case) so individuals could swap to their own taste.
Much easier than trying to please everyone w/ a single color.
Also, I could go without "mic" and "ear"; side benefit of allowing the plugs themselves to be centered on the line running through the power button and USB3 ports
This. Just visually makes much more sense. Have the power Vandal like up dead center. USB 3.0s on the right, and mic/headphones plugins on the left without any words, just green and red circles.
Actually, I disagree. Relying entirely on colour-coding for labeling is bad UI design. I think you might be able to get away with it in this case given that it is being designed for a very limited audience, but I wouldn't recommend it. I don't know how it would play out with people that are colour-blind, but even if that wasn't an issue there are still people out there who may not know the difference. Granted, probably none of the people likely to purchase this case, but still.
jamaicanpi
Limp Gawd
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I agree with Morac. The aesthetic of the case is not ruined by the text, the text font is appropriately stylized and the color is a nice shade of gray. Most people won't need the text, but it's so well done that it doesn't hurt those that don't, and it definitely helps those that do.
Tiny, occasionally inscrutable icons on jacks/buttons are a pet peeve of mine, which is why I went with text labels for the audio. As long as you can read, it's pretty unambiguous what does what. And yeah - not everyone knows (or can remember - I admit to having this problem) which color corresponds to what. We may also try to have the ports recessed, with as little of the jack visible as possible, so another reason for labels.
For those that balk at text (or my choice of text... "ear" probably bothers some people), we could do (simple, legible) icons instead:
For those that balk at text (or my choice of text... "ear" probably bothers some people), we could do (simple, legible) icons instead:
Tiny, occasionally inscrutable icons on jacks/buttons are a pet peeve of mine, which is why I went with text labels for the audio. As long as you can read, it's pretty unambiguous what does what. And yeah - not everyone knows (or can remember - I admit to having this problem) which color corresponds to what. We may also try to have the ports recessed, with as little of the jack visible as possible, so another reason for labels.
For those that balk at text (or my choice of text... "ear" probably bothers some people), we could do (simple, legible) icons instead:
I actually like this a lot. Just symbols and both ports as black.
Tiny, occasionally inscrutable icons on jacks/buttons are a pet peeve of mine, which is why I went with text labels for the audio. As long as you can read, it's pretty unambiguous what does what. And yeah - not everyone knows (or can remember - I admit to having this problem) which color corresponds to what. We may also try to have the ports recessed, with as little of the jack visible as possible, so another reason for labels.
For those that balk at text (or my choice of text... "ear" probably bothers some people), we could do (simple, legible) icons instead:
Is this what they mean by love at first sight?
CroSsFiRe2009
n00b
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I'm loving the front port design and if there's a user replaceable vandal switch to switch up colours, it'd be even better. Is there going to be enough spacing to plug in usb drives that are a bit wider than normal? It looks like there's not much room.
And it's just my 2 cents but I still think moving to 4 slots would be a good idea. I know most sff enthusiasts prefer itx and that matx isn't going to fit very well into a case designed for an itx mobo but just having the option there for people to modify and fit a matx board into the smallest case possible would be good.
Also, according to the [h] review for sli 660ti. It requires 460W on an oc'd 2600k so using the sfx 450Ws for a sli setup wouldn't be too far fetched either. It wouldn't be ideal but it'd be possible.
A single slot isn't much taller either and would also let you use full size case fans on the bottom radiator too.
And it's just my 2 cents but I still think moving to 4 slots would be a good idea. I know most sff enthusiasts prefer itx and that matx isn't going to fit very well into a case designed for an itx mobo but just having the option there for people to modify and fit a matx board into the smallest case possible would be good.
Also, according to the [h] review for sli 660ti. It requires 460W on an oc'd 2600k so using the sfx 450Ws for a sli setup wouldn't be too far fetched either. It wouldn't be ideal but it'd be possible.
A single slot isn't much taller either and would also let you use full size case fans on the bottom radiator too.
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It's already been brought up by Necere in the previous pages. Granted, it was in a previous version of the case, but I think the majority think that trying to accommodate mATX boards creates a larger case that people don't want.
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Can you give me an example? I mean, yeah, if you want to plug a couple of these in, I'm afraid you're out of luck
This would be something that a fraction of a percent of people would ever attempt, and you'd end up with a pretty sub-optimal setup. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to change the design to cater to a tiny minority when it's a real size increase that provides no benefit to the majority of users.
SLI wouldn't be a good fit in this case anyway, due to the lack of airflow in the bottom section. At least in the current design you can opt to install a fan or two on the case floor to get some dedicated airflow for a higher-power GPU, something that wouldn't be possible with an SLI setup.
I'd have to agree with Necere. If you want a case as small as possible to fit mATX mobos then it would be better to have someone design and build a case specifically for that use. This design, as I understand it, is just for mITX. and it's purposes and should remain so.
Yeah I think this case is what I've been waiting for for quite some time and I've had a isk150, sg05 and currently have a prodigy. I think the front is a little plain, but that's just my opinion and I haven't come up with a suggestion so I didn't say anything.
Any news from Lian Li yet?
wahaha360
Gawd
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We are in touch with SilverStone as well and hoping to get cost estimates from both tonight / tomorrow morning.
Awesome news.
I'm really liking this case, I'd buy one.
I have an idea though, could it be possible to mount a full ATX PSU in the front like this?
Sorry for my crude MS Paint skills:
Having a location to mount SSD's is pretty easy to find. You could pretty much mount them to any flat surface in the case, even the sides of the PSU.
I love the design of the case, my only issue is the lack of decent powered SFX power supplies. 450W is the highest I can find anywhere, and if you want to use a top tier GPU, you need a ATX supply.
I have an idea though, could it be possible to mount a full ATX PSU in the front like this?
Sorry for my crude MS Paint skills:
Having a location to mount SSD's is pretty easy to find. You could pretty much mount them to any flat surface in the case, even the sides of the PSU.
I love the design of the case, my only issue is the lack of decent powered SFX power supplies. 450W is the highest I can find anywhere, and if you want to use a top tier GPU, you need a ATX supply.
The 450W SilverStone is enough for anything short of a dual-GPU card.
There's technically enough space for an ATX PSU, though the angle plug limits the PSU length to 125mm - Nexus being the only real option AFAIK.
Actually mounting it is DIY territory, of course.
Thanks for the picture, and advise. I'm not afraid of DIY: My DIY NAS/HTPC