New SFF gamers case: presentation and advices

dmw16 said:
Do we need to reorder?
Click to expand...

No, no need to pre-order again. You will be contacted a few days before shipping starts and everything will be verified again. So no worries.

Pre orders are only to get in line for a case because supplies are tight. This is why we do not ask for credit cards information. You only provide that at the time of payment.;)

Regarding configuration for best cooling, we haven't run enough test yet but it's kind of up to what you see work best with the heatsink and socket you have. There are so many possiblities, it would take quite a while to test and list everything. However, we are working on a web page that will help you find out what the possibilities are according to you socket and heatsink.

Finally, sorry about the delay in posting pictures of the HDD. I will try to take some shots tonight and post them on the forum.

Thank you to all of you for your support!
 
Hey mattinv,

Judging by the number of pre-orders you have received so far, will you have enough cases to deliver later this month or will you have backorders and if I pre-order now, I will have to wait until January or later to receive my case? Thanks.
 
So far, I believe we should be able to deliver this month, for all the people who have pre ordered up to today.
 
mattinv said:
So far, I believe we should be able to deliver this month, for all the people who have pre ordered up to today.
Click to expand...

Great to hear! I just pre-ordered the Black Heart with Window edition a few hours ago. I hope it can come before the 27th when I leave on vacation. Please? :p
 
Here are a few picture + manual screenshots.
hdd1.jpg
hdd2.jpg

hdd3.jpg

hard_drive_cage_mount.jpg

hard_drive_cage_mount2.jpg
 
mattinv...awesome. looks great!

what size is the fan that blows over the ram? IIRC, the fan config is follows:

2x 120mm exhaust
1x 120 or 140mm side fan, next to where CPU cooler mounts
1x 92mm intake, front of chassis
1x 92mm side fan, next to 120/140mm fan

is that correct? are all fan positions meant to accommodate 25mm depth fans? is it possible to use 28mm deep fans at any mounting point?
 
Last edited:
sabregen said:
mattinv...awesome. looks great!

what size is the fan that blows over the ram? IIRC, the fan config is follows:

2x 120mm exhaust
1x 120 or 140mm side fan, next to where CPU cooler mounts
1x 92mm intake, front of chassis
1x 92mm side fan, next to 120/140mm fan

is that correct? are all fan positions meant to accommodate 25mm depth fans? is it possible to use 28mm deep fans at any mounting point?
Click to expand...

This is mostly correct.

2x 120mm exhaust
1x 120 or 140mm side fan, next to where CPU cooler mounts
1x 92mm intake, front of chassis
1x 92mm side fan, next to 120/140mm fan
1x 60 mm side fan(optional)

All position (except the 60mm one) are compatible with 25mm fans. If you want to put a 38mm fan, some position will work and some won't.
 
thanks for everything mattinv... any for sure info on which ones can fit a fan deeper than 25mm? I know that you mentioned a corsair H50 in the 120/140 location as working, so that one must be pretty deep.

for any additional info you can offer, I appreciate it.
 
Hard drives cage is removeable without having to remove the video card right? I guess since the whole motherboard tray can be slid backwards without having to dismount the heat sink, you could slide the mobo tray back. It would be nice if the hard drive cage was removeable from the power-supply side of the case or from the top, of course you would have to remove the 5-1/4" device first.
 
Glad this case is finally going to go out to customers. Hoping to see plenty of user reviews here- I still have a couple issues with the case that precludes my preorder.
 
yes, it will accommodate an h50, both in intake or exhaust mode. though, matt, i wonder which one (side intake or rear exhaust) will accommodate a push/pull setup? both perhaps?

also, matt, could you tell me which fans support which fan depths?
 
kencheeto said:
Glad this case is finally going to go out to customers. Hoping to see plenty of user reviews here- I still have a couple issues with the case that precludes my preorder.
Click to expand...

Hi Kencheeto,
I'm just curious what issues you have in mind. We are trying to accommodate all users to a certain extent, at least to the best of our capabilities.
So let us know if there is something in the design bothering you.
 
jarhead said:
yes, it will accommodate an h50, both in intake or exhaust mode. though, matt, i wonder which one (side intake or rear exhaust) will accommodate a push/pull setup? both perhaps?

also, matt, could you tell me which fans support which fan depths?
Click to expand...

This is a really tough question because it depends of a LOT of parameters.
Let just put it this way. The only fans that MUST be 25mm in depth are the HDD fan (92mm) and the GPU fan (120mm). For all the other fans, it only depends of your configuration.
 
Fair enough my friend. So, it would be safe to assume (based on the data available) that a push/pull setup with the h50 would be possible on either of the 120mm fans (aside from the top exhaust fan of course) since there would be no clearance issues to consider with the heatsink?

Seriously cannot wait for this puppy to show up on my doorstep. Honest, my little soldier moves a little every time I read this thread! :-D
 
You've driven me to registering a new email account so I could join this forum to just say, what a fantastic case you've made. I've been searching for months high and low and everything I have seen has had flaws which have driven me away from purchasing.

I'm looking to get one of these for a new build. You've actually convinced me to go mATX just for this case :). The aspects that have really drawn me to the design is how pragmatic it is, you've clearly been driven by factors that are truly important to high end users and enthusiasts.

Good airflow, compatability with ATX power supplies, a big HSF and the stupidly sized graphics cards of today, it ticks so many boxes that were left unfilled by products double the price. Even those didn't compare in choice of materials, finish and design layouts.

Thank you Mattinv for going to all this effort of producing a case of such high quality and modifying it's design to meet our needs.

The only thing I would change (small niggle) would be considered a downgrade for many.

I feel it's a negative having those USB 2.0 ports embedded into the case. Reason I say that is because USB 3.0 is just around the corner it'll be outdated quickly, and is it really necessary? On such a small case which will likely be on a desktop it's not hard to reach around the back :p

Looking to purchase this month of next, I'm just waiting to get hold of a 5870 at the same time.

Any idea on when the first batch of reviews on the case are likely to appear?
 
darkz179 said:
I have had sff's for awhile now, and the front usb's are key :D
Click to expand...

It may be a big oversight of me to put what I did, since all i've owned till now are mid towers :p

I am not looking forward to the cable management on this thing, but it was love at first sight, I shall forgive it :D
 
mattinv said:
Hi Kencheeto,
I'm just curious what issues you have in mind. We are trying to accommodate all users to a certain extent, at least to the best of our capabilities.
So let us know if there is something in the design bothering you.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been following this case since you began the thread and there have been design choices made that bug me, but I'm pretty close to a nightmare consumer- I have tons of transient and arbitrary requirements. The optical bay cover bugs me the most, as I was hoping to put in a hdd hotswap bay there. Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked to see this case built with input from end users, I think it definitely shows and if user reviews stay consistent, this is already a much better design than Silverstone's shoebox models.

I'll be keeping an eye on alternate front panel covers, as well as your mini-itx design.
 
What's keeping me from this right now is also the front. First, that bay cover keeps out my touch screen fan controller, and it's quite frankly ugly right now. Maybe you could add some mesh, or holes like Lian-Li?
 
Same here. I'm getting ready to build my first SFF and really like this case, except for the front. Just looks too plain to me.
 
I have been very interested in migrating my hardware from my Antec 1200 into a MATX cube case. I've seen from my extensive research that every case has its own benefits and flaws, this one included. You just have to find which one is the best fit for you. And it looks like mattinv will give us options in the future for us to make this case even better.
 
It is a little plain but I like the front being simple with a good finish :)

The drive bay cover does remove some options though, fan controllers being one of them. It was mentioned earlier in the thread it is removable but you'll lose some of the aesthetics as a result.
 
DarrenHonour said:
You've driven me to registering a new email account so I could join this forum to just say, what a fantastic case you've made. I've been searching for months high and low and everything I have seen has had flaws which have driven me away from purchasing.

I'm looking to get one of these for a new build. You've actually convinced me to go mATX just for this case :). The aspects that have really drawn me to the design is how pragmatic it is, you've clearly been driven by factors that are truly important to high end users and enthusiasts.

Good airflow, compatability with ATX power supplies, a big HSF and the stupidly sized graphics cards of today, it ticks so many boxes that were left unfilled by products double the price. Even those didn't compare in choice of materials, finish and design layouts.

Thank you Mattinv for going to all this effort of producing a case of such high quality and modifying it's design to meet our needs.

The only thing I would change (small niggle) would be considered a downgrade for many.

I feel it's a negative having those USB 2.0 ports embedded into the case. Reason I say that is because USB 3.0 is just around the corner it'll be outdated quickly, and is it really necessary? On such a small case which will likely be on a desktop it's not hard to reach around the back :p

Looking to purchase this month of next, I'm just waiting to get hold of a 5870 at the same time.

Any idea on when the first batch of reviews on the case are likely to appear?
Click to expand...

USB 3.0 is probably more unnecessary.. I can't think of anything USB related that would be critical for its higher speeds (even HDs have eSATA).
 
DarrenHonour said:
It is a little plain but I like the front being simple with a good finish :)

The drive bay cover does remove some options though, fan controllers being one of them. It was mentioned earlier in the thread it is removable but you'll lose some of the aesthetics as a result.
Click to expand...

Removable? Sounds to me like only the tray and button are 'removable'.. all pictures so far have shown that only 5.25" bay devices with standardized tray/button location will be able to work.
 
kencheeto said:
Yeah, I've been following this case since you began the thread and there have been design choices made that bug me, but I'm pretty close to a nightmare consumer- I have tons of transient and arbitrary requirements. The optical bay cover bugs me the most, as I was hoping to put in a hdd hotswap bay there. Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked to see this case built with input from end users, I think it definitely shows and if user reviews stay consistent, this is already a much better design than Silverstone's shoebox models.

I'll be keeping an eye on alternate front panel covers, as well as your mini-itx design.
Click to expand...

So for the front cover, it all came to the design / outside look. But no worries, we are pretty quickly going to offer different options. And you'll be able to pick the one you'd like. The first one that is going to come out is one with an full opening so that you can put anything you'd want, including a HDD hotswap.
I just need to get it together for production and hopefully, and I'll try to keep the price to a minimum so that people interested can easily switch.
 
Last edited:
DarrenHonour said:
It is a little plain but I like the front being simple with a good finish :)

The drive bay cover does remove some options though, fan controllers being one of them. It was mentioned earlier in the thread it is removable but you'll lose some of the aesthetics as a result.
Click to expand...

We are studying different options for fan controllers. Would you like me to post some images? (I did post the most advanced one already, but let me recapitulate).
Fan controllers options (by order of cost/price):
#1: a simple 3 positions switch, integrated to the chassis frame. This is the easiest, cheapest and very efficient.
#2: a 4 fan controllers with 4 knobs. Cheap, efficient, up to four fans.
#3: a digital (2 colors) fan controller for 2 fans. A little bit more "visual".
#4: a digital (multiple colors) fan controller for 4 fans, integrated to the front of the case. Lots of options. Cool looking. (see picture under)
fancontroller.JPG


ps: I'll try to submit the picture for each option tomorrow.
 
bbs1 said:
Same here. I'm getting ready to build my first SFF and really like this case, except for the front. Just looks too plain to me.
Click to expand...

Hi bbs, and all of you guys that want something less plain.
What would you really like? What is the design that you see on another case that you'd die for? I'm curious and as mentioned, I'm looking at having different options for the front and I'd like to get your opinion on what's trendy or good looking for you.
After all, as I said before, this is a case for the enthusiast community, build and design for you. So it's up to you to let me know what you'd like and I'll do my best to make it happen!:p

You've driven me to registering a new email account so I could join this forum to just say, what a fantastic case you've made. I've been searching for months high and low and everything I have seen has had flaws which have driven me away from purchasing.

I'm looking to get one of these for a new build. You've actually convinced me to go mATX just for this case . The aspects that have really drawn me to the design is how pragmatic it is, you've clearly been driven by factors that are truly important to high end users and enthusiasts.

Good airflow, compatability with ATX power supplies, a big HSF and the stupidly sized graphics cards of today, it ticks so many boxes that were left unfilled by products double the price. Even those didn't compare in choice of materials, finish and design layouts.

Thank you Mattinv for going to all this effort of producing a case of such high quality and modifying it's design to meet our needs.

The only thing I would change (small niggle) would be considered a downgrade for many.

I feel it's a negative having those USB 2.0 ports embedded into the case. Reason I say that is because USB 3.0 is just around the corner it'll be outdated quickly, and is it really necessary? On such a small case which will likely be on a desktop it's not hard to reach around the back

Looking to purchase this month of next, I'm just waiting to get hold of a 5870 at the same time.

Any idea on when the first batch of reviews on the case are likely to appear?
Click to expand...

First of all, thank you. It's always great to hear such good feed back. It helps keep me awake at night for long hours of work.
Of course, the USB ports in the back work great. But having them close to the front happens to be very practical when you, like me, don't want to try to reach in the mess of cable in the back (and potentially have to move your case). I use the ones on the front of my case all the time. And it was a "must" I had on the "requirements list" posted by a few people on the forum. On the next version, we will add a E-SATA and 2 more USB.
The reviews will pop out in the next weeks. It will take some time to dispatch the batch for the reviews, and a short time for people to review them. But hopefully, it will all come together soon.
I have read a preview that will be posted in a magazine in EU. It was very good, so I hope I'll get the same feedback on this side of the Atlantique.
 
Last edited:
Hey mattinv,

It looks from the fan controller picture there is also a card reader underneath? When would this fan controller be available to purchase after the case is released and would it be difficult to install to the front of the case? Or would we have to purchase it with the case since its integrated?

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
i love this case!

this case mitigates all of the problems i have with SFFs though a full atx board would be nice that would be nigh impossible but you can fit a huge HSF huge video cards full size pretty much everything in a pint sized package its brilliant!
 
Topherhead said:
i love this case!

this case mitigates all of the problems i have with SFFs though a full atx board would be nice that would be nigh impossible but you can fit a huge HSF huge video cards full size pretty much everything in a pint sized package its brilliant!
Click to expand...

Explain to me again what you would gain by fitting a full ATX board?
 
nerdydesi said:
Hey mattinv,

It looks from the fan controller picture there is also a card reader underneath? When would this fan controller be available to purchase after the case is released and would it be difficult to install to the front of the case? Or would we have to purchase it with the case since its integrated?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

We will sell a case front with it (option#4). So it will all come in one piece. You'll just have to remove 4 screws and switch front bezel. Easy and quick.
 
Skott said:
ATX mobos usually have more features than their little brothers (matx). Thats the reason I'm guessing. :)
Click to expand...

You know as well as I do that, not only are we starting to have mATX mobos that are as competent as their ATX counterparts (Gene series, Gigabyte P55) but also the differences between them are actually used/noticed by a fraction of people (even at [H], I'd guess).

(I also know it wasn't you who made the original comment, but I'm replying 'as if')
 
hey matt, in response to your question about the front fascia, while i have no objections with the current design aesthetically, i am concerned about airflow for the front 92mm and the PSU. i understand that the decision was made to nix feet that would give this case clearance off the ground, so that is my reason for concern, as some users might be putting this case on heavy pile carpet. the other issue that could potentially crop up from that is a possible static buildup from said carpet pile and the rapid movement of air so close to the carpet. im no electrical engineer, just calling it as i see it :)

if i had to pick an alternative face to it, id say something along the lines of the qv2 would look pretty good. i think a good case can be made for having a standard drive bay in terms of adaptability. but then again, im not the one who has to design the thing and make it look sexy either, so its a lot easier said than done, haha.

as to the atx vs matx, im a little curious why its even being brought up. this is the small form factor forum, for computers that are small in (you guessed it!) form factor! plenty of great mid towers out there that arent a whole lot bigger than some of the SFF cases, but if size is your issue, i think matx has reached the point where there is little to no difference between them and their larger cousins except expansion slots.
 
Another reason is that MATX is not much smaller than an ATX board. However there aren't many SFF ATX case available; maybe 1 or 2.
 
jarhead said:
hey matt, in response to your question about the front fascia, while i have no objections with the current design aesthetically, i am concerned about airflow for the front 92mm and the PSU. i understand that the decision was made to nix feet that would give this case clearance off the ground, so that is my reason for concern, as some users might be putting this case on heavy pile carpet. the other issue that could potentially crop up from that is a possible static buildup from said carpet pile and the rapid movement of air so close to the carpet. im no electrical engineer, just calling it as i see it :)

if i had to pick an alternative face to it, id say something along the lines of the qv2 would look pretty good. i think a good case can be made for having a standard drive bay in terms of adaptability. but then again, im not the one who has to design the thing and make it look sexy either, so its a lot easier said than done, haha.

as to the atx vs matx, im a little curious why its even being brought up. this is the small form factor forum, for computers that are small in (you guessed it!) form factor! plenty of great mid towers out there that arent a whole lot bigger than some of the SFF cases, but if size is your issue, i think matx has reached the point where there is little to no difference between them and their larger cousins except expansion slots.
Click to expand...

The Qmicra case you referred to has to be one of the ugliest front ends ever made.
 
jarhead said:
as to the atx vs matx, im a little curious why its even being brought up. this is the small form factor forum, for computers that are small in (you guessed it!) form factor! plenty of great mid towers out there that arent a whole lot bigger than some of the SFF cases, but if size is your issue, i think matx has reached the point where there is little to no difference between them and their larger cousins except expansion slots.
Click to expand...

Exactly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top