New Case Company

[Overkilled]

Just now, Build_Nerd said:

I like the overall style of the caselabs mesh so I really want to make our vents the same style. Other than that for the most part it is going to be all aluminum with a tempered glass side panel. Did you have any ideas you'd like to share?

I'd love to recommend heading in INWINs signature cases direction at a price under £300 but the manufacturing process would be pretty hard to achieve for a small company I'd assume.

[SpaceGhostC2C]

On 8/4/2016 at 10:59 PM, Build_Nerd said:

The real thing that I need to decide on his how I want the front panel to look. I really like the look of front panels like the corsair 750D and other they make like it (although without the 5.25" bays)

Please don't follow the trend of eliminating the 5.25'' bays. Some of us still need to have access to optical drives (and prefer the built-in solution to external USB devices), but even for those beyond optical drives there are still lots of 5.25'' bay accessories (just like the 3.5'' external bays continued to host card readers and what not ages after the last 3.5'' diskette was used) that get kicked out the build the minute you remove the 5.25 bays (or exclude the bay-less case from the set of viable choices).

[Build_Nerd]

13 hours ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

Please don't follow the trend of eliminating the 5.25'' bays. Some of us still need to have access to optical drives (and prefer the built-in solution to external USB devices), but even for those beyond optical drives there are still lots of 5.25'' bay accessories (just like the 3.5'' external bays continued to host card readers and what not ages after the last 3.5'' diskette was used) that get kicked out the build the minute you remove the 5.25 bays (or exclude the bay-less case from the set of viable choices).

There may be a second case that is done very soon after that does include the 5.25" bays, but with the vast majority of people not using them, I don't think they will be in it tbh. That may change, but they handicap liquid cooling options and I want the case to be an amazing option for both air cooling and liquid cooling. I hear your plea, we shall see. (dem rhymes)

 

13 hours ago, Overkilled said:

I'd love to recommend heading in INWINs signature cases direction at a price under £300 but the manufacturing process would be pretty hard to achieve for a small company I'd assume.

They may actually be someone I approach for manufacturing, we shall see. But, personally I am not a big fan of the S-frame or D-frame cases. Some of them I do like, just not all of them. I really like the clean design and thing its much easier to work with as a modders as well, not that modders are a huge market but still something to think about. For instance I like some of the design aspects of the 303.

[ServerGuy]

11 hours ago, Build_Nerd said:

I like the overall style of the caselabs mesh so I really want to make our vents the same style. Other than that for the most part it is going to be all aluminum with a tempered glass side panel. Did you have any ideas you'd like to share?

With the aluminium, I recommend making it slightly thicker than you would want it to be, because if it is quite thin (maybe 1mm or so [~0.04inch]) then it is quite easy to bend, which is a benefit in production, but  a drawback for the consumer if they damage it. Aluminium is also way more expensive than steel, but if you're looking to make (and people are looking to buy) a lightweight case, then I am sure people will pay the premium (and the aluminium and tempered glass does seem to go together nicely!)

[Overkilled]

9 hours ago, Build_Nerd said:

They may actually be someone I approach for manufacturing, we shall see. But, personally I am not a big fan of the S-frame or D-frame cases. Some of them I do like, just not all of them. I really like the clean design and thing its much easier to work with as a modders as well, not that modders are a huge market but still something to think about. For instance I like some of the design aspects of the 303.

You see the thing about Fractal Design is that their cases have no soul or characteristics. They sell because on paper they offer some of the best technical features in the price bracket their cases are competing in but in terms of wow factor

 #

this case looks stunning

this is perhaps not so stunning...

[SpaceGhostC2C]

15 hours ago, Build_Nerd said:

There may be a second case that is done very soon after that does include the 5.25" bays, but with the vast majority of people not using them, I don't think they will be in it tbh. That may change, but they handicap liquid cooling options and I want the case to be an amazing option for both air cooling and liquid cooling. I hear your plea, we shall see. (dem rhymes)

Well,  I can't claim to be a representative consumer or a reliable marketing advisor :-P so it is more of a wish. 

You may want to have a look at the Aerocool Aero-800 (I'm sure there is at least one more brand using the same chassis, but I can't remember the name) in terms of how they kept some minimal 5.25 mounting pieces while clearing out the space for those who don't need them. It would still add something to the cost, so you may not follow that path either,  but maybe there's a way to have your cake and eat it too ;-)

 

[Build_Nerd]

On August 7, 2016 at 6:48 AM, Overkilled said:

You see the thing about Fractal Design is that their cases have no soul or characteristics. They sell because on paper they offer some of the best technical features in the price bracket their cases are competing in but in terms of wow factor

 #

this case looks stunning

 

this is perhaps not so stunning...

I had said caselabs in that post, but that isn't a big deal. Yes InWin can make some cool looking cases, but they also make cases like below or ones that are insanely priced for their crazy designs haha. Also the price difference there is $50 but thats not a big deal just saying. Now, Fractal has yet to come out with a case that has a tempered glass side panel so that is obviously a bump against them and it's not a company I am taking much from aesthetically into this design and my company so no worried there. There are things from InWin's designs that I have looked at and am considering, but not much tbh. Thanks for contributing.

 

Also, this is also made and sold by InWin...

[Build_Nerd]

19 hours ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

Well,  I can't claim to be a representative consumer or a reliable marketing advisor :-P so it is more of a wish. 

You may want to have a look at the Aerocool Aero-800 (I'm sure there is at least one more brand using the same chassis, but I can't remember the name) in terms of how they kept some minimal 5.25 mounting pieces while clearing out the space for those who don't need them. It would still add something to the cost, so you may not follow that path either,  but maybe there's a way to have your cake and eat it too ;-)

 

Hmmm that is a really interesting way to do it. Might consider that, but like you said, another part to be machined

[Clanscorpia]

Get lots of feedback from the community if you do. Make it so lots of people will like it, not just a neiche audience cough cough EVGA cough cough

[AVAisHERE]

I think you need to do something to set you apart from the other manufacturers... Do something that will make customers buy your product. Don't inclute fans or any crap, save the money and let the customers decide what products they want in yor case. think of everything, it is what is in the details that will impress reviewers. I hope you will make it in the hard business world!

[AVAisHERE]

Don't try to do everything, but find your niche. 

[vladonizer]

20 hours ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

Well,  I can't claim to be a representative consumer or a reliable marketing advisor :-P so it is more of a wish. 

You may want to have a look at the Aerocool Aero-800 (I'm sure there is at least one more brand using the same chassis, but I can't remember the name) in terms of how they kept some minimal 5.25 mounting pieces while clearing out the space for those who don't need them. It would still add something to the cost, so you may not follow that path either,  but maybe there's a way to have your cake and eat it too ;-)

 

I believe the Phanteks enthoo pro m only has one 5.25 bay if you need it, that it removable for more radiator space. This is the good medium IMO

[Build_Nerd]

10 hours ago, Clanscorpia said:

Get lots of feedback from the community if you do. Make it so lots of people will like it, not just a neiche audience cough cough EVGA cough cough

haha this thread is for gaining such feedback

[Build_Nerd]

9 hours ago, AVAisHERE said:

I think you need to do something to set you apart from the other manufacturers... Do something that will make customers buy your product. Don't inclute fans or any crap, save the money and let the customers decide what products they want in yor case. think of everything, it is what is in the details that will impress reviewers. I hope you will make it in the hard business world!

I can see where you are coming from with the whole not putting fans in, but there are plenty of customers in the pc building world that use the fans that a case comes with. I have plans for those fans that, if it works out, they will be incredible. The other part is when you sell to SI companies like Cyberpower and iBUYPOWER etc, they need the case to have fans because that means they don't have to shell out fans for every build in that case, making it more expensive to their customers if so. I do plan to do some things different then currently being done to stand out.

[Clanscorpia]

1 minute ago, Build_Nerd said:

I can see where you are coming from with the whole not putting fans in, but there are plenty of customers in the pc building world that use the fans that a case comes with. I have plans for those fans that, if it works out, they will be incredible. The other part is when you sell to SI companies like Cyberpower and iBUYPOWER etc, they need the case to have fans because that means they don't have to shell out fans for every build in that case, making it more expensive to their customers if so. I do plan to do some things different then currently being done to stand out.

You could have 2 versions. One with fans and one without. Sorta like OC edition cards

[Build_Nerd]

5 hours ago, Clanscorpia said:

You could have 2 versions. One with fans and one without. Sorta like OC edition cards

Yeah that is a viable option to offer kind of a "barebones" version of the case. Would be unique from all I have seen from case companies.

[Build_Nerd]

It looks like its going to be an ATX Mid everyone, but we shall see in a few weeks.

[Marinatall_Ironside]

I love seeing ATX Full Towers, but I agree that having a diverse portfolio is just as good as having a badass full tower that's got the refined and clean aesthetics.

[Build_Nerd]

Yeah, have the poll on other enthusiast sites as well and the Mid tower votes are adding up quite a bit. I love full towers because of what I can do with the space in terms of design, but in the same respect mid towers will be best for retail and selling to SI companies assuming they want them as well, so best of all worlds really.

[Build_Nerd]

Hey everyone, what are your thoughts on a recessed/removable mobo tray? I know it may be hard to imagine and way to hard for me to describe but wanted initial thoughts. Atm we are still working on the CAD for this whole thing and have come up with some ideas that have delayed it a bit, but still being worked on.

[SpaceGhostC2C]

36 minutes ago, Build_Nerd said:

Hey everyone, what are your thoughts on a recessed/removable mobo tray? I know it may be hard to imagine and way to hard for me to describe but wanted initial thoughts. Atm we are still working on the CAD for this whole thing and have come up with some ideas that have delayed it a bit, but still being worked on.

I personally like removable or sliding motherboard trays, but it depends in the case layout too, I guess for some cases it can be redundant as removing other panels can give you the same access to the motherboard.

In other words, I like to have an easy way to gain comfortable access to the components, regardless of how this is achieved.

I'm also OK with protruded PSU and fan mounts if it helps to minimize clearance issues.

[Build_Nerd]

Well for some sort of description, it would be a removable, recessed motherboard tray with vertical graphics cards

[Build_Nerd]

CAD designs have been started but the possible partner I am working with who also happens to be my cousin, works full-time and goes to school full-time so it will take some time. Hope that you all stay tuned for when that is uploaded as I would love input from you all. Thanks in advance!