Might be a new line of Pc cases in near future!

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PcJunkie209

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 20, 2011
Messages
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I am thinking of starting a new line of Pc cases geared for gamers and xtreme enthusiast. Just wondering what perks everyones interest and what would you want in a case. I know what I would want but I am only one drop of water in a big lake. So any and all feed back is appreciated.

Things I like-
Options
Different accessories
Universal for most all hardware
Solid construction
Different color options
And most important not costing an arm and a leg.

Thanks in advance
 
PcJunkie209 said:
I am thinking of starting a new line of Pc cases geared for gamers and xtreme enthusiast. Just wondering what perks everyones interest and what would you want in a case. I know what I would want but I am only one drop of water in a big lake. So any and all feed back is appreciated.

Things I like-
Options
Different accessories
Universal for most all hardware
Solid construction
Different color options
And most important not costing an arm and a leg.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

How about this. Read the Corsair 800D/700D reviews and discussions. Do a product similar to theirs but "improved." Also see how different people have modded their cases. Probably the most important mod is a bottom-mounted radiator.

Also, options to include/not include windows or not.

One thing missing from the 800D/700D is a factory option for wheels. Another is an optional hydraulic lift when you need to move the case to your desk for some work.:p
 
x509 said:
How about this. Read the Corsair 800D/700D reviews and discussions. Do a product similar to theirs but "improved." Also see how different people have modded their cases. Probably the most important mod is a bottom-mounted radiator.

Also, options to include/not include windows or not.

One thing missing from the 800D/700D is a factory option for wheels. Another is an optional hydraulic lift when you need to move the case to your desk for some work.:p
Click to expand...


A lot of the stuff I already had in mind except the wheels. I'll take note. And lol to the lift let me know when u get one so I can have u over to my place to move my MountainMods brick. :)
 
Water cooling isn't a huge market so you might want to make some air friendly cases as well.

I say do a nice postive air pressure case with at least one stealthed drive bay. I like both the FT02 and the X500 from Lian li case wise as good models to start from.

My quirk - if you go with a standard layout be mindful of the 5.25" bay setup. I think for most users the option to leave the bottom intake totally unobstructed and to replace a bunch of 5'25" bays with a fan and HD cage is an improvement. This gives your video card cool air and gives your case more intakes.

I think this should be the more 'standard setup" in cases instead of the 4 - 8 blank 5.25" slots.
 
Good luck! Heavily saturated market in the exact description of your project IMO.........always room for more I suppose!
 
Thanks guys! There's always room for more cases ecspecially if it's what the end user wants. :)
 
I like the 90 degree motherboard orientation of the Silverstone cases. Not sure if they've patented that idea or not.

The cooling benefits make sense, and with the weight of current GPUs it certainly is nice to have them hang vertically instead of bending horizontally.
 
Options for the power supply to be able to go either ABOVE or below, i really detest how a lot of cases are forcing the user to put the power supply near the bottom.
 
dj LiTh said:
Options for the power supply to be able to go either ABOVE or below, i really detest how a lot of cases are forcing the user to put the power supply near the bottom.
Click to expand...

And include mounting holes that allow the PSU to be mounted either 'up' or 'down'.
 
A couple things i was thinking about
1. Have 2 lines of cases one being liquid cooled and the other being air cooled, inside of these you should have a mid tower full tower and possibly a lan case.
2. I currently own a NZXT Khaos and it has a bracket in the middle that holds 3 120mm fans and i would love to see this in more computers, it works well.
3. Great paint jobs, Multi color insides like a black case with white internals or red, like the LittleDevil custom computers
4. Good cable management, Plenty of room behind the motherboard tray for wires and groumeted holes are nice also.
5. Windowed and windowless models, Some people like them some dont
6. Rubber isolated everything and sound damping, Quiet is nice

Just some of the things i could think of.
 
Horizontal motherboard.
Sharp/jagged edges (if it saves on cost =) )
No tool-less installers; I usually remove them and use screws.
USB 3.0 support.
Windows!
 
trayless removable hard drive bays so I can swap drives without opening the case and messing with cages or trays.
 
quality dust filers that are easy to remove without taking the case apart, including a bottom one for the psu if you want to orient it that way.
instead of having 7 drive bays (most of which we dont use) a front ported videocard airduct. one fan at case entry, another at the end of the bay. postitioned at a general point for dual video cards to get proper air. the antec 1200 kind of had the idea, but the interior fan shouldnt protrude into the case from the bay. also using at least 140mm fans for this i think would be ideal.
i like side windows.
make sure the case is nice and big. wheels are a plus.
larger quiet fans. options to install more if needed. (ala haf-x, although if we could install a 140 fan in place of the stupid hotswap bays the case would be better off...)
 
Balthazor said:
I like the 90 degree motherboard orientation of the Silverstone cases. Not sure if they've patented that idea or not.

The cooling benefits make sense, and with the weight of current GPUs it certainly is nice to have them hang vertically instead of bending horizontally.
Click to expand...

Agreed!

Also, a classy, elegant case. Not just the typical gamer case that looks like futuristic battle tank.
 
Balthazor said:
I like the 90 degree motherboard orientation of the Silverstone cases. Not sure if they've patented that idea or not.

The cooling benefits make sense, and with the weight of current GPUs it certainly is nice to have them hang vertically instead of bending horizontally.
Click to expand...

+1 I can't attest to the 90deg orientation from personal experience, but I can say the vertical-airflow-reinforcing-natural-convection approach works well. I just modded my case for that and my temps are almost the same inside the case as they are in open air.

My GPU is warping under it's own weight in a horizontal configuration. It would be nice if it was hanging vertically.
 
How about the little things many case manufacturers don't pay attention to:

1) Spaced out USB ports - don't bunch them up together, leave space between them so I can use fat USB device and not block the port next to it.
2) Accident-proof power and reset buttons - don't put them blatantly next to the ports.
3) Non-colorful case wires - yeah you know those power switch/reset/power LED/HD LED colorful twisty wires, time to rid of them and replace with just black & grey or tasteful wires. We can read the little white printing on the connector thank you.
4) Black screws - If the case is all black don't give me silver screws, that's all.
5) Tool-less - not as necessary as one might think, but only implement if done right. I don't want my 5.25" fan controller to be loose like a hooker.
6) Special compartment(s) to hold unique accessories - ok maybe the case includes special screws or cable ties, but if I'm not using them all I want to make sure I don't lose them in my drawer or something. Include a hidden box to house the extra accessories. (see Antec P180)
 
A case that had a larger area between the removable motherboard tray and the side panel for excess wiring. Integrated power rails and connectors or some sort for better case management. Saw one brand that had something like this. Not sure if I can explain it correctly. A rail that you can plug the PSU cables into from the back of the motherboard tray and then have multiple modular cables to go from the rail to the components...HDs, opticals, mobo and fans. That being said, having more room BEHIND the motherboard with lots of mobo tray cutouts for cable managemnet. Maybe using larger mobo standoffs. These are the only things I see lacking on most current offerings that I personally would like in a case.
 
x509 said:
Need any beta-testers? :p
Click to expand...

I'll keep u in mind. I am hoping to have them in production by June. But before then I'll post up some cad pics for more feedback.

A little tip as to line up. I am thinking like a LAN style box with wcing options, a mid tower , a couple full towers and maybe a double wide. All cases will have options as in different style config and panels. All the rest of the fine details are still in the works.
 
I dont understand, how a LAN box would be a watercooled case. it makes no sense for me.

also, theres a lot of options mentioned here and lots of unfocused ideas. how do you plan to narrow down ideas and features to create a good case with good materials because I somehow can't connect your idea for the case to be cheap and good at the same time. what materials do you consider to use with those cases?
 
I am personally a huge fan of RATX configs.

I spend a shit ton on my video cards and like to showcase them. IMO reverse/inverted atx cases are the shit.

Also, I like windows where it hides the cluttered parts (optical bays, hidden bays, etc), but I also love seeing the PSU cause we also spend a lot on those.
 
PcJunkie209 said:
I am thinking of starting a new line of Pc cases geared for gamers and xtreme enthusiast. Just wondering what perks everyones interest and what would you want in a case. I know what I would want but I am only one drop of water in a big lake. So any and all feed back is appreciated.

Things I like-
Options
Different accessories
Universal for most all hardware
Solid construction
Different color options
And most important not costing an arm and a leg.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Definitely a fan of high quality parts and solid construction, don't even mind paying a lot when you can tell someone really put a lot of hard work into what you purchased. Don't cut corners, meaning paint/finish everything! Management shouldn't be shoddy!

Designs... Elegant, yet simple, streamline and practical, functionality is a plus!

A prime example of one of my favorite cases is the Silverstone FT02B (Non windowed, though the window design on the windowed version makes it acceptable even to me, who dislikes windows.) My only real gripes so far with my rig I'm building inside this case, is:

The plastic frame inside of the HDD cage housing which itself is aluminum, doesn't seem to fit perfectly, it's a little lose and the HDD cages can slip free. Making them a better fit and a more sturdy plastic, or even some form of alloy would have been BAM in my face.

Room for some SLIGHT improvement on the front or in this case, top I/O features. I don't blame them for having only USB 2.0 and not 3.0 as the case was released before USB 3.0 was mainstream.

The metal grid guards covering the PCI-e slots are a little sharp and light/cheap feeling. Use a sturdier metal with a smoother finish, AND BLACK, to match the rest of the interior and another BAM to my face.

The top fan's cables aren't sleeved/wrapped like the bottom three.

The only real fault with the case's airflow design is that once powered off, I have a feeling a lot of dust is going to fall down into the case from the top. Some form of dust filter should have been included for the top as the bottom and rear have filters.

The design is sexy, the frame is beast and solid. I'm glad I spent $220 on it. Foam padded interior rocks my socks too. It's a sweet case and if you wanted my two cents, many cases could learn a thing or two from it.

Just my opinion

Another case that features INCREDIBLE craftsmanship and quality is the TJ11. The cost for that monster reflects its quality. Also beautiful, just a lil too big for my current desire.
 
needless to say this is gonna be tough, there are already a ton of well established companies that have huge budgets for marketing, engineering, QC and production, I wish you luck, because you're gonna need it, to actually make it in the business you're probably gonna have to think outside of the box and come up with something truly innovative, because I can guarantee you that the suggestions being thrown around here is stuff that has already come up in meeting rooms filled with engineers and others that get paid to do this type of thing for a living, the key is to turn out a superior product while minimizing cost and turning a profit, that's easier said than done...

like I said, good luck, I can't imagine a scenario where you're not gonna need at least a little of it...
 
wol-va-rine said:
needless to say this is gonna be tough, there are already a ton of well established companies that have huge budgets for marketing, engineering, QC and production, I wish you luck, because you're gonna need it, to actually make it in the business you're probably gonna have to think outside of the box and come up with something truly innovative, because I can guarantee you that the suggestions being thrown around here is stuff that has already come up in meeting rooms filled with engineers and others that get paid to do this type of thing for a living, the key is to turn out a superior product while minimizing cost and turning a profit, that's easier said than done...

like I said, good luck, I can't imagine a scenario where you're not gonna need at least a little of it...
Click to expand...

Well he isn't trying to turn into a company he is just making some good quality cases to sell for a little profit to [H] members im sure, I would buy one just for that.
 
You know what i want to see? A motherboard tray that is made from a perforated mesh or something to allow heat built up behind the board escape easier.
 
mannyman said:
Well he isn't trying to turn into a company he is just making some good quality cases to sell for a little profit to [H] members im sure, I would buy one just for that.
Click to expand...

hmm well he said something about bringing in a new line of cases, so if I understand written language means a new portfolio of enclosures that feature things that we need but "big companies" don't acknowledge which pretty much sounds like having a small company. of course I don't know if he realizes how much work/stuff/gimmicks are there waiting for him

one of the most important things that we should ask him before we go crazy imagining our perfect cases is how many cases he had a chance of using. what companies he likes the most and what are his main inspirations when it comes to a case.

sorry for being so harsh, I dont want to be discouraging, it's more of narrowing down things, like "top critical things i need to know before I start this thing" kinda thing as it's a big adventure ahead of you and I wish you good luck.
 
There is a guy in Kansas City already doing this locally. He makes Full Aluminum cases in the style of Lian-Li. Except, the Aluminum is 3x as thick with natural ribs on the inside panels for strength and cooling. He also has a heatsink incorporated in the side panel which connects to face of the cpu with machined ports for 6 x 120mm fans. Last I saw the waiting list, it was 18 months long. The cases are about $500 each. The Dry weight of the case is about 50lbs ( all machined Aluminum ) no steel. He does use that new 3m Carbon Fiber tape on the front of the case and they look amazing. I wish I had pictures.
 
velocityx said:
I dont understand, how a LAN box would be a watercooled case. it makes no sense for me.

also, theres a lot of options mentioned here and lots of unfocused ideas. how do you plan to narrow down ideas and features to create a good case with good materials because I somehow can't connect your idea for the case to be cheap and good at the same time. what materials do you consider to use with those cases?
Click to expand...
As for lanbox with wcing options, that's all it is options. So people like small with a big punch and extreme cooling. I myself am a fan of wcing in big, small or whatever I can get my hands on. Sometimes it is just the fact that someone says no way are u gonna fit all that wcing gear in that small box, that makes me want to prove them wrong!:) so like I said options!! As for materials mostly aluminum, acrylic and anything else that is sturdy and light weight. Maybe some carbon fiber($$$$) I am doing one for cooler master case mod contest right now. My design for that may hit production. I have got a lot of positive feedback on the layout. I'll post up some pics tonite. Mind u it was built in my garage with limited tools. :)

wol-va-rine said:
needless to say this is gonna be tough, there are already a ton of well established companies that have huge budgets for marketing, engineering, QC and production, I wish you luck, because you're gonna need it, to actually make it in the business you're probably gonna have to think outside of the box and come up with something truly innovative, because I can guarantee you that the suggestions being thrown around here is stuff that has already come up in meeting rooms filled with engineers and others that get paid to do this type of thing for a living, the key is to turn out a superior product while minimizing cost and turning a profit, that's easier said than done...

like I said, good luck, I can't imagine a scenario where you're not gonna need at least a little of it...
Click to expand...
Luck is something we will definitely need, can I borrow some?? :)

mannyman said:
Well he isn't trying to turn into a company he is just making some good quality cases to sell for a little profit to [H] members im sure, I would buy one just for that.
Click to expand...

velocityx said:
hmm well he said something about bringing in a new line of cases, so if I understand written language means a new portfolio of enclosures that feature things that we need but "big companies" don't acknowledge which pretty much sounds like having a small company. of course I don't know if he realizes how much work/stuff/gimmicks are there waiting for him

one of the most important things that we should ask him before we go crazy imagining our perfect cases is how many cases he had a chance of using. what companies he likes the most and what are his main inspirations when it comes to a case.

sorry for being so harsh, I dont want to be discouraging, it's more of narrowing down things, like "top critical things i need to know before I start this thing" kinda thing as it's a big adventure ahead of you and I wish you good luck.
Click to expand...

As for starting a company, I am not! I will be joining a company that will be expanding their market with a little help from me if my wants and needs are agreed upon. This company has been in the server case market for 15+ years and they are local for me. We will not be trying to become like CM or Lian Li just make a name for Quality and reliability.

As for cases I have tried I have tried many always seems like I can't find a close to perfect case from the big companies. I love Mountain Mods and Danger Den make some nice cases but have yet to try. Lian Li I have many.

SixFootDuo said:
There is a guy in Kansas City already doing this locally. He makes Full Aluminum cases in the style of Lian-Li. Except, the Aluminum is 3x as thick with natural ribs on the inside panels for strength and cooling. He also has a heatsink incorporated in the side panel which connects to face of the cpu with machined ports for 6 x 120mm fans. Last I saw the waiting list, it was 18 months long. The cases are about $500 each. The Dry weight of the case is about 50lbs ( all machined Aluminum ) no steel. He does use that new 3m Carbon Fiber tape on the front of the case and they look amazing. I wish I had pictures.
Click to expand...

I would like to see this.

Thanks for all the feedback. I will mostlikely narrow down by most asked for and what I would want as a avid gamer and overclocker.
 
I'm trying to get you pictures. He uses his uncles CnC machine and the design is such that it's all tongue and groove with allen head screws. The base is 1" thick with feet machined into the design, the top 1/2" thick. the sides 1/2" thick and front and rear are 1/2 thick. There is a machined handle on top from what I remember. Various other design features you guys can see once I get pictures. The weight of the case is 27lbs, not 50lbs. I was way off. For the inside assembly, he has very smartly designed aluminum thin plate that he cuts, folds and glues inside using aircraft glue. This holds the harddrives / dvd / blu-ray. The PSU area is machined into the base. His raw material cost is about $55 dollars, he sells the scrap back to the same place he buys the aluminum plate from. The case was designed with Solidworks 2011.

update: I just got another email from my friend. He was able to buy his own CnC machine for 9k from the proceeds from the sale of the cases. They are not $500, but around $400 and he sometimes makes trades. The guy is only 23 years old.

I guess the key to this guys success is that he uses 7 parts only and that there are only 12 screw holes. The hard drives and 5 1/2 bay ares use no screws but instead glued in rubber strips and tight tolerances. They all fit snuggly in. His design philosophy is Lian-Li ( minimalist )

I've seen 4 or 5 of his cases and he also has custom CnC scrollwork machined ( plasma cutter? ) into the front of the cases. Saw the Dragons Age logo on a few and a few phoenix fire bird rising designs. All were painted deep purple, red or back and looked amazing against the aluminum.
 
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SixFootDuo said:
I'm trying to get you pictures. He uses his uncles CnC machine and the design is such that it's all tongue and groove with allen head screws. The base is 1" thick with feet machined into the design, the top 1/2" thick. the sides 1/2" thick and front and rear are 1/2 thick. There is a machined handle on top from what I remember. Various other design features you guys can see once I get pictures. The weight of the case is 27lbs, not 50lbs. I was way off. For the inside assembly, he has very smartly designed aluminum thin plate that he cuts, folds and glues inside using aircraft glue. This holds the harddrives / dvd / blu-ray. The PSU area is machined into the base. His raw material cost is about $55 dollars, he sells the scrap back to the same place he buys the aluminum plate from. The case was designed with Solidworks 2011.
Click to expand...

I want to see one of these bad boys. My case is on the heavy side for being mad of all aluminum. I think it weighs somewhere around 50 pounds with everything in it.
 
sixfootduo, don't forget to include your pictures in the topic as I also would like to see that custom case. sounds interesting.
 
PcJunkie209 said:
I'll keep u in mind. I am hoping to have them in production by June. But before then I'll post up some cad pics for more feedback.

A little tip as to line up. I am thinking like a LAN style box with wcing options, a mid tower , a couple full towers and maybe a double wide. All cases will have options as in different style config and panels. All the rest of the fine details are still in the works.
Click to expand...

And all by June. Very impressive. Hard tooling or soft tooling? Hogged out by hand?
 
SixFootDuo said:
There is a guy in Kansas City already doing this locally. He makes Full Aluminum cases in the style of Lian-Li. Except, the Aluminum is 3x as thick with natural ribs on the inside panels for strength and cooling. He also has a heatsink incorporated in the side panel which connects to face of the cpu with machined ports for 6 x 120mm fans. Last I saw the waiting list, it was 18 months long. The cases are about $500 each. The Dry weight of the case is about 50lbs ( all machined Aluminum ) no steel. He does use that new 3m Carbon Fiber tape on the front of the case and they look amazing. I wish I had pictures.
Click to expand...

Link?
 
My favorite features of cases I have seen:

No god awful window
Completely silent (I know other components play a part in this, but I mean simply the case)
200mm fans (Front, top, back, side optional)
Fantastic airflow, the inside should be as cool as ambient
LED light fans that have a button on the front that you can turn them on and off
Toolless installation
Hard drives that pull straight out, not the old school front to back configuration
The power and activity light to NOT light up the room in a dark room.
Rubber/Silicone EVERYWHERE there could POSSIBLY be vibration
Space enough behind the motherboard to hide all wires
Enough motherboard tray cutouts to cable manage and hide everything
Reasonable price point (~$125--$150)
Did I mention completely silent?
NO front door.
All the wires to be tastefully sleeved (Front panel connectors, fan wires)
 
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