New SFF gamers case: presentation and advices

I have not checked this thread in a while since I was gone on vacation to India. Mattinv, when will the bezel come out that supports your custom fan-controller and card-reader? Thanks.
 
I really lke the plain aluminum (hopefully with a clear coat) front bezel and the silver buttons. I also like the full optical drive cut out. However, as long as I have no issues with the standard replacement front panel, I probably won't swap it for the full cutout version just yet.
 
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couple air cooling issues I need advice on...
Is the GPU fan supposed to blow in or out of the case? The manual says it's for intake, but at least one picture http://www.lan-gear.com/img/dabox/DA_BOX_pres4.jpg shows it blowing out... which seems to make sense since my 5870 pushes hot air out the back.. but then again I don't know anything about aerodynamics.
Also, I'm using a noctua nh-u12p heatsink and was wondering which of the following would work better:
1. two 120mm fans attached to the heatsink
2. one 120mm pushing towards a 140mm mounted on the side of the case
(there's only enough space for two fans)

thanks
 
lillimon04 said:
Matt, new pics with new front panel? :)
Click to expand...
Hi Lilli, yes, this one:
new_front_bezel4.jpg

The topic moves so fast:D

couple air cooling issues I need advice on...
Is the GPU fan supposed to blow in or out of the case? The manual says it's for intake, but at least one picture http://www.lan-gear.com/img/dabox/DA_BOX_pres4.jpg shows it blowing out... which seems to make sense since my 5870 pushes hot air out the back.. but then again I don't know anything about aerodynamics.
Also, I'm using a noctua nh-u12p heatsink and was wondering which of the following would work better:
1. two 120mm fans attached to the heatsink
2. one 120mm pushing towards a 140mm mounted on the side of the case
(there's only enough space for two fans)

thanks
Click to expand...
The best way to cool you GPU is to push the air on it/them. This is how I have it set up on mine. You can trim up to 10C like that, especially on a Crossfire/SLI set up.
With your Noctua, you might have to try. We did not do testing with it.
 
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The second I get rid of my EVGA x58 SLI LE I'm picking this up, getting a micro, and hopefully sticking twin fermi in this thing whenever they get around to launching.

This is gonna be sick.

I noticed a while back, however, you said something about discontinuing the non-side panel window ones. Is this true? Because I specifically don't want a window.
 
theprophe said:
on the 5.25 drive, i thought you were going to have the stealth door for the dvd drive, like all the other nice cases out there. Or better yet just have a slit for a slot dvd drive like the mac mini's do
Click to expand...

stealth door might be a bit tricky on this case.
 
Matt to make this case great, I would redesign the whole front panel. Its tooo blah, it needs something. Some vent holes or something.
 
theprophe said:
on the 5.25 drive, i thought you were going to have the stealth door for the dvd drive, like all the other nice cases out there. Or better yet just have a slit for a slot dvd drive like the mac mini's do
Click to expand...

I totally second: slot-in would be my weapon of choice!
 
I am one of the waiting early orders (I think I was 11 if I recall) - but chose to wait for the non-window. So I eagerly await the fixes etc. and most likely will go with the Black auto-finish all around. I am also holding out for the 5.25 opening and plan on putting either a quad 2.5" SSD drive (RAID 5 or 0) by Enhance-tech or the slim optical/2.5" drive by Silverstone.

Here are the links for those wondering what to put in that 5.25 bay opening if you get that.

http://www.enhance-tech.com/products/multidrive/q14.html#
http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=TS03&area=usa

Slot for CD - now that could be cool, yes - some design or dimple on the lower part may balance the look if air flow is not ideal based on current design. Question - if slot load was there - I take it the drive would just be pushed in and butt up against the inside of the front panel? I like that - the opening can have a nice entry with smooth edges (not a laser cut alone).

All these cool ideas - nice to have multiple choices on the front panel if Matt keeps all this as options. Very flexible.;)
 
agrophel said:
yea waiting on new revisions+bag :D

LIAN LI PC-V351 run to hot :/
Click to expand...

Matt,

When will the the cases with new revisions be ready to ship out? Is there an ETA?
Click to expand...

The word is that production started this week. But I'm not sure when the actual case will be available. For the US, no later than February 15, mid march for the EU.
We are just trying to make sure that we do not run into any problem this time around. Distribution was a mess the first time, so we have to make sure it is perfect now.

I'm also waiting for the front bezel with the large opening, painted metallic red.

I'm trying to decide color we should do IF we decide to have a car paint finish on some. Black, glossy piano finish is one. Anything else.

One more quick comment on the bag. I got a hold of the prototype last week and I didn't say much about it. To summarize quickly, it is excellent. Water proof material, very good quality, very well padded, tear resistant, etc... I really like the black outside, orange inside. Looks very good with the black DA BOX (I'll take another pic tonight).

theprophe said:
Ya the more i think about the design of the front, It is a very elegant miminalist design, the space for the dvd drive totally upsets the balance (the slimline is a little better in this regards) I think if you are having the current design it would be better to have a mesh vent at the bottom of the front to offset the akwardness of the off center drive. Or just a slit for the slot load drive wouldn't require a vent becuase of the simplisic elegance (like the old Soldam polo r case from japan, http://www.siliconpopculture.com/articles/review/soldam_polo_r/

i think the Soldam Polo r is the most beautiful case ever designed and the DA BOX is so close to matching it for current hardware and cheaper price
Click to expand...

I can only say that you will want to see the mini ITX. It is very sweet.:D It's kind of like the Soldam but with the hardware capabilities (and a bit smaller I believe, from the pictures).
Generally speaking, if anybody has suggestion to improve the design, just let me know and we'll try to integrate them.
 
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theprophe said:
if you wont do a slot load dvd player, how about just supplying us the metal piece where the dvd hole is, so we can just glue it on the front of our dvd player, at least then the front will not have the ugly dvd door showing. Shuttle used to this with some of their models before they stealthed them
Click to expand...

Hi Theprophe,

The load DVD player comes with a metal door piece that matches the front bezel (not shown on these pictures). There is a special high quality 3M tape to attach it to your DVD door.
I assure you I would have never had it without. For the picture of the case in metallic red, the only reason it's not showing is that it was not sent to the paint shop with the front bezel.

The image below show how the front bezel ships in its 2 versions:
new_front_bezel4.jpg

You can see the cover on the right side.

Please, let me know if you have anymore questions or suggestions for future improvments.;)
 
Hi everybody,

Here is the manual for Da Box. Let me know if you see some possible improvements as we have to send to print tomorrow.
Enjoy!
manual_dabox.gif

You can download the full pdf file here.
 
Do you have one that's all in English?

And I found myself asking two questions that might be answered in the manual, but could probably be answered near the beginning-

1. The book mentioned some optional fans- which fans are included, which will you need to buy?
2. Exactly how long of an optical drive can fit?
 
woot! looks like I have some reviewing to do. i'll report back.

page 2 bullet point #5: 6 fans placements ( 2x 120mm, 1x 120‐140mm, 2x 80‐90mm et 1x50mm) dont trois
fournis (2x120mm et 1x90mm)

what the hell? Should it not read: 6 fan placements ( 2x 120mm, 1x 120‐140mm, 2x 80‐90mm and 1x60mm) front fans (2x120mm et 1x90mm)

page 3, bold print, directly under Da Box 100: Contenu de la boîte should be "Contents of the box" or "Da Box"

page 3, right column, coolermaster 120mm fans are not 2 pin, they are 4 pin molex.

Page 3, The tools you'll need: Siessors should be Scissors

Page 3, the warning icon caption should read: DO(space)NOT use a poor quality screw driver, and be sure to use the right size head. If not, you may damage the screw head.

Page 4, Montage du boîtier should read: Assembling the Case

Page 4, numbers 6 and 7 have periods at the end, the rest do not.

Page 4, Warning at the bottom - just type out "two hours"

Page 6, enlarge the pictures of the screws without impeding the view of the mechanical drawing.

Page 8: "Use tape or a glue gun to adjust the switches. To adjust buttons depth you can add an extra tape" - Just a comment. These are the kinds of details to look at after the production runs get hammered out, and are free of defect. Details like this are what separate widely successful products from niche ones. "Where's my extra tape?" is what I immediately think.

Page 9: #2 (checkbox recommendation) - My personal configuration would not have allowed me to do as suggested. I could not have installed the modular cables (Silverstone ST1000-P) into my power supply before installing other components, it would have become too unweildy to assemble the rest of the system. Consider removing this, or mention that "it is usually recommended" to the verbiage.

Page #9, Insertion of the Power Supply, #1: I cannot insert the PSU through the right side. Did you mean the left? Or is is the right when looking at the case from the rear... as opposed to the front... which is how I normally determine right from left. Look at the front, that's right ----->, that's left <--------. Yes?

Page #9, the Warning regarding the power supply extention. What the hell does "The extension power cord is mounted from the outside" even mean? The outside of what? The motherboard? The PSU, the chassis? It would be awefully hard for me to mount it from the inside of any of those, as I don't think that I can fit into any of those things. Consider revising or removing.

Page #10: Again lists the 3x 120mm fans as 2pin. Just because they use the +5v and a ground does not make the connector 2 pin. It's a 4pin molex. That's what everyone knows them as. You will confuse people. Also, the Fan filter (in reference to the issue on Page 2, listing it as a 50mm, is listed here as 60mm.

Page 10: Lower left picture caption: Remove the French

Page 11: heading: "Mounting devices in the 5"¼ bay." The heading doesn't need a period, it's not a sentence. Also, the appropriate way to express it is 5.25" or 5¼".

Page 11: The check mark suggestion: It's in French. Also, see the above for the appropriate expression of this measurement as 2.50" or 2½". It should probably read: "You can easily mount 2x 2.5" drives below the optical drive bay," or something like that.

Page 12: Heading "Montage des disques durs : 2"½ et 3"½" Is in French, also please correct the measurements expression. Should probably read: "Installing 2.5" and 3.5" hard disks"

Page 13: Heading: "Montage des cartes PCI" Is in French, and should probably read: "Installing PCI Cards"

Page 14: I LOL'd. The suggestion checkmark says to mind your cable management for airflow and reassembly reasons, and then suggests twisting the cables. At the bottom of the page, there's a picture of a cabling job like my grandmother would do. Please take a new photo. That looks terrible.

Page 14 & 15 - Bottom of Page 14, #1: Turn on your PC. Top of Page 15: (warning) "Do not forget to turn on your PSU." - Didn't we just cover that?

FAQ: Q: The optical drive cover doesn&#8217;t match the front bezel. A:play with the drive until satisfied. (that's a bit vague. mine now has vaseline all over it, and I feel all dirty inside) consider removing this, or clarifying.

Q:The case does not close. A:Check and make sure no cables are cut. (if the cables were cut properly, the case would close... because they'd no longer be in the way... consider revising).

Q: How to change the speed of the 2 pins fans? A: It is possible to modify it&#8217;s speed by switching the pin order. (/queue graphic: Picture labels ground as "Masse" please fix it. Also, in the picture caption, you list 5v,7v, ou 12v. Please change ou to "or")

Page 16: Lower left (Bag) caption: "The case weighs 3.2kg empty. A gamer&#8217;s set up weighs approximately 8kg." Mine is over 11kg. Do I get a cookie?

That's all I got. I can't critique the French section, as I don't intend to line-by-line translate the entire manual. Very good job on all of the pics (I'll take some credit there) and orienting arrows properly, and giving pictures and explainations. Whomever your technical writer is, they did a good job at executing on the ideas presented, in this area. But, they need a better proofreader/editor. I'm unemployed... where are you guys based out of? :)
 
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IdiotInCharge said:
Do you have one that's all in English?

And I found myself asking two questions that might be answered in the manual, but could probably be answered near the beginning-

1. The book mentioned some optional fans- which fans are included, which will you need to buy?
2. Exactly how long of an optical drive can fit?
Click to expand...

1.) 1x92mm fan, and 2x 120mm fans, currently. I am hoping they replace all the current ones offered (which are from two different manufacturers, and have two different pin-outs) with better fans, with steel screws (instead of aluminum) and that are 3 pin, with 3pin to 4pin molex adapters.

2.) This depends on the CPU cooler that you're using. Quantatively, the larger your CPU's HSF is, and the closer your motherboard's CPU socket is to the optical drive area, the smaller your optical drive (front to rear) will have to be.
 
sabregen said:
woot! looks like I have some reviewing to do. i'll report back.

page 2 bullet point #5: 6 fans placements ( 2x 120mm, 1x 120&#8208;140mm, 2x 80&#8208;90mm et 1x50mm) dont trois
fournis (2x120mm et 1x90mm)

what the hell? Should it not read: 6 fan placements ( 2x 120mm, 1x 120&#8208;140mm, 2x 80&#8208;90mm and 1x60mm) front fans (2x120mm et 1x90mm)

page 3, bold print, directly under Da Box 100: Contenu de la boîte should be "Contents of the box" or "Da Box"

page 3, right column, coolermaster 120mm fans are not 2 pin, they are 4 pin molex.

Page 3, The tools you'll need: Siessors should be Scissors

Page 3, the warning icon caption should read: DO(space)NOT use a poor quality screw driver, and be sure to use the right size head. If not, you may damage the screw head.

Page 4, Montage du boîtier should read: Assembling the Case

Page 4, numbers 6 and 7 have periods at the end, the rest do not.

Page 4, Warning at the bottom - just type out "two hours"

Page 6, enlarge the pictures of the screws without impeding the view of the mechanical drawing.

Page 8: "Use tape or a glue gun to adjust the switches. To adjust buttons depth you can add an extra tape" - Just a comment. These are the kinds of details to look at after the production runs get hammered out, and are free of defect. Details like this are what separate widely successful products from niche ones. "Where's my extra tape?" is what I immediately think.

Page 9: #2 (checkbox recommendation) - My personal configuration would not have allowed me to do as suggested. I could not have installed the modular cables (Silverstone ST1000-P) into my power supply before installing other components, it would have become too unweildy to assemble the rest of the system. Consider removing this, or mention that "it is usually recommended" to the verbiage.

Page #9, Insertion of the Power Supply, #1: I cannot insert the PSU through the right side. Did you mean the left? Or is is the right when looking at the case from the rear... as opposed to the front... which is how I normally determine right from left. Look at the front, that's right ----->, that's left <--------. Yes?

Page #9, the Warning regarding the power supply extention. What the hell does "The extension power cord is mounted from the outside" even mean? The outside of what? The motherboard? The PSU, the chassis? It would be awefully hard for me to mount it from the inside of any of those, as I don't think that I can fit into any of those things. Consider revising or removing.

Page #10: Again lists the 3x 120mm fans as 2pin. Just because they use the +5v and a ground does not make the connector 2 pin. It's a 4pin molex. That's what everyone knows them as. You will confuse people. Also, the Fan filter (in reference to the issue on Page 2, listing it as a 50mm, is listed here as 60mm.

Page 10: Lower left picture caption: Remove the French

Page 11: heading: "Mounting devices in the 5"¼ bay." The heading doesn't need a period, it's not a sentence. Also, the appropriate way to express it is 5.25" or 5¼".

Page 11: The check mark suggestion: It's in French. Also, see the above for the appropriate expression of this measurement as 2.50" or 2½". It should probably read: "You can easily mount 2x 2.5" drives below the optical drive bay," or something like that.

Page 12: Heading "Montage des disques durs : 2"½ et 3"½" Is in French, also please correct the measurements expression. Should probably read: "Installing 2.5" and 3.5" hard disks"

Page 13: Heading: "Montage des cartes PCI" Is in French, and should probably read: "Installing PCI Cards"

Page 14: I LOL'd. The suggestion checkmark says to mind your cable management for airflow and reassembly reasons, and then suggests twisting the cables. At the bottom of the page, there's a picture of a cabling job like my grandmother would do. Please take a new photo. That looks terrible.

Page 14 & 15 - Bottom of Page 14, #1: Turn on your PC. Top of Page 15: (warning) "Do not forget to turn on your PSU." - Didn't we just cover that?

FAQ: Q: The optical drive cover doesn’t match the front bezel. A:play with the drive until satisfied. (that's a bit vague. mine now has vaseline all over it, and I feel all dirty inside) consider removing this, or clarifying.

Q:The case does not close. A:Check and make sure no cables are cut. (if the cables were cut properly, the case would close... because they'd no longer be in the way... consider revising).

Q: How to change the speed of the 2 pins fans? A: It is possible to modify it’s speed by switching the pin order. (/queue graphic: Picture labels ground as "Masse" please fix it. Also, in the picture caption, you list 5v,7v, ou 12v. Please change ou to "or")

Page 16: Lower left (Bag) caption: "The case weighs 3.2kg empty. A gamer’s set up weighs approximately 8kg." Mine is over 11kg. Do I get a cookie?

That's all I got. I can't critique the French section, as I don't intend to line-by-line translate the entire manual. Very good job on all of the pics (I'll take some credit there) and orienting arrows properly, and giving pictures and explainations. Whomever your technical writer is, they did a good job at executing on the ideas presented, in this area. But, they need a better proofreader/editor. I'm unemployed... where are you guys based out of? :)
Click to expand...

Thank you Sabregen.
This is a two guys job. We are the technical writers. As far as spell checking, it gets messed up when you try to have 2 or more language on the same doc (we should have merged both instead of doing it all on the same). And I hurried the editing a bit. But the community is always there to give our small team a hand.
I'll make the corrections today and post it back. Looks like there is quite a bit.
Plus we need to put a section to thank all of you for your help during this entire process.

You case is over 11kg? Did you load it with lead?:D
 
'dont trois fournis' means 'of which three are included' (for sabregen's correction on page 2).
 
Hi everybody,

Here is the manual for Da Box, corrected.
manual_dabox.gif

You can download the full pdf file here
What do you guys think of the manual overall? Especially for the ones who have a case, is it pretty accurate? We tried not to forget any steps...
Printing pretty soon!
 
That's a good looking manual.

I really don't think you need to print these to save on costs (unless it is cheap). Most cases include a brief 1 page quick start guide and direct you to the manual online or something.
 
Hi everybody,

We posted some pictures on the website. I'd like to write a little note on each set up since it is done and thought by you. Would you mind commenting on them?
Here is the link:
http://www.lan-gear.com/products_gallery_user.php

If you want us to add a bunch, send us suggestion and links at: [email protected]
We will clean up the page. This is just a start. The objective is to show people what's doable with Da Box.
Thank you again for your support!;)
 
It's probably about time to replace those photographs of the prototype with the square, centred power buttons - false advertising! Everyone here knows what's happening but by now Lan Gear is being found on google and linked from other places
 
I am in the process of redoing my system with a new mobo, cpu, etc. I intend to sleeve up the wires and make my system look nice and tidy. I'll take some good quality pics once I get that done. Is it fair to estimate that we should get the replacement parts to finish our builds in about 3 weeks? That is about the time frame that I am shooting for to finish up my build.

mattinv said:
Hi everybody,

We posted some pictures on the website. I'd like to write a little note on each set up since it is done and thought by you. Would you mind commenting on them?
Here is the link:
http://www.lan-gear.com/products_gallery_user.php

If you want us to add a bunch, send us suggestion and links at: [email protected]
We will clean up the page. This is just a start. The objective is to show people what's doable with Da Box.
Thank you again for your support!;)
Click to expand...
 
FengPangzi said:
I am in the process of redoing my system with a new mobo, cpu, etc. I intend to sleeve up the wires and make my system look nice and tidy. I'll take some good quality pics once I get that done. Is it fair to estimate that we should get the replacement parts to finish our builds in about 3 weeks? That is about the time frame that I am shooting for to finish up my build.
Click to expand...

We are hoping that it will be less than that. The power cords are ready, we are just waiting for the front bezels and hard drive cage to be done. If possible, 2 weeks is the date you should be looking for.
 
Hey Matt, is there a chance I can get the 3D model? Because my planed build is litteraly coming down to a few mm. (I made a model with the basic dimensions you provide, and I have 3mm of clearance). I would like to be able to check dimensions with a proper model, before I go about possibly screwing up a build. Additionally, is it possible to remove the 5.25" bay holder? Because that's in the way of my build too.
 
Zurginator said:
Hey Matt, is there a chance I can get the 3D model? Because my planed build is litteraly coming down to a few mm. (I made a model with the basic dimensions you provide, and I have 3mm of clearance). I would like to be able to check dimensions with a proper model, before I go about possibly screwing up a build. Additionally, is it possible to remove the 5.25" bay holder? Because that's in the way of my build too.
Click to expand...

Hi Zurginator,

For CAD drawings, please contact me directly at [email protected] ; I generally give you shots and dimensions.
With a small drill, you can just easily remove the 5.25" bay holder (by drilling off the rivets). Easy and very clean.
For dimension, I can give you some exact one if you tell me what you are looking for.

Also, a link to check out for people interested in the DA BOX classic:
http://www.hiboox.fr/go/albums/informatique/da-box,c3b25768f156a197a7606fd9c104232a
Some nice picture of a pretty standard set up, that also show a comparison of Da Box with what looks like a Q-Pack
 
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Well, I finally have had the time to put my build together. A couple issues for those who have a 5970 with the Rampage II Gene. You can not use the PCIe #1 slot for your graphics card at least with the Silverstone plus 850 watt power supply. I havent run benchmarks yet to see if there is any performance loss but with that card a little wont matter at all. The only other problem I have had is fitting the H50 cooler as the processor is close to the side. This isnt the cases fault but my choice of parts in it. I love the case so far and will love it even more once I can close her up with the new parts (still waiting on some new fans to come in. Anyone know of a fan that is nice and quiet for the ram fan? The one I have sounds like a jet fan.
 
bheath3 said:
Well, A couple issues for those who have a 5970 with the Rampage II Gene. You can not use the PCIe #1 slot for your graphics card
Click to expand...
Why would this matter? X58 provides maximum bandwidth on both x16 slots, so performance should be unaffected. It's P55 users who may have a problem, due the PITA mobo designers insisting on the upper slot be the x16 and bifurcating the lower slot bandwidth to x8 + x8 or x12 + x4.
 
mattinv said:
Hi Zurginator,

For CAD drawings, please contact me directly at [email protected] ; I generally give you shots and dimensions.
With a small drill, you can just easily remove the 5.25" bay holder (by drilling off the rivets). Easy and very clean.
For dimension, I can give you some exact one if you tell me what you are looking for.
Click to expand...

First, I need to know how much clearance there is between the bottom of the top panel and the PSU (I'm removing everything in between). Plan is to mount a quad 120mm rad in the top (2x2).

The main measurement I'm conserned with is between the GPU block tops and the bottom of my rad/fans. If you could give me how much room there is between the bottom of the top panel, and the top of the PCI card bracket (where they screw in) that would also let me figure this out.

Finally, I was wondering if there would be enough room between a PSU and mATX board to mount 2x 2.5" drives there.

Thank you very much! :D
 
mattinv said:
You case is over 11kg? Did you load it with lead?:D
Click to expand...

FMJ bullets. how the hell else am I supposed to win all of my virtual battles?

mattinv said:
Hi everybody,

We posted some pictures on the website. I'd like to write a little note on each set up since it is done and thought by you. Would you mind commenting on them?
Here is the link:
http://www.lan-gear.com/products_gallery_user.php

If you want us to add a bunch, send us suggestion and links at: [email protected]
We will clean up the page. This is just a start. The objective is to show people what's doable with Da Box.
Thank you again for your support!;)
Click to expand...

lollercopter.. i see mine (on the old abit board). u r spying on me!
 
IanM said:
Why would this matter? X58 provides maximum bandwidth on both x16 slots, so performance should be unaffected. It's P55 users who may have a problem, due the PITA mobo designers insisting on the upper slot be the x16 and bifurcating the lower slot bandwidth to x8 + x8 or x12 + x4.
Click to expand...
I wasnt sure if it mattered or not but the MB manual says to install the card in slot one if running one card to get better performance so that is what I based my information on.
 
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