I watched the video guessing at the price the whole time - I was way wrong, thought it was going to be MUCH more, so I think $90 is extremely fair. Definitely a product targeted at an enthusiast with experience building PCs. Usually that means a ludicrous price, happy to see this one is really reasonable!
I agree. It's not super cheap, but I think it hits the price point I would hope for in something that's "some assembly required." I was worried it would end up going the other direction, and be more expensive due to the R&D and/or lower production volumes. While I think they probably could have gone even lower, I'm not disappointed by the price.
With poor knowledge of PC case prices and the similar expectation of "enthusiast markup" i was honestly thinking something around 300-400 bucks. It's kinda weird to imagine PC cases being that cheap compared to something like keyboards, just by the apparent material costs.
So a little bit of insight from the shipping industry; couriers work on what's called 'dimensional weight'; the weight of the package is compared against what the weight of a given density of material would be for that space, to avoid undercharging for bulky light items. The dimensional weight is almost *always* used for something the size of a PC case; to use the example of a CM mastercase 500, the package (at 61cmx57cmx31cm) weighs 9kg, but would be billed as 22kg of dimensional weight. Cutting down the empty space would ABSOLUTELY reduce the shipping costs.
This looks cool enough that I may consider trying it if the thermals turn out to be even remotely close to my old Corsair 5000D Airflow. I've never built a case, and honestly this looked like more fun of an experience than trying to shove everything into a prebuilt box.
I love the option. Hopefully we’ll see more DIY cases going forward, maybe options where you select only the parts you want and they don’t ship you extras [I, for example, would never use some of the colors in the featured package, so it would just be a waste for me]
Reminds me so much of the sadly now failed winter one SFF case. Flatpack honestly makes so much sense for SFF cases. For my water-cooled NR200 build, it required me to take it apart as much as I could before I started where if it was flatpacked, it would not only have been easier (more access) but also faster.
The pegboard thing is nice. I mounted an Ikea "skådis" to my case and I use it every day. If I want more desk space for something not computer related I can just hang every perephial on my computer (top is already taken). Not only that, a couple of small boxes on the side of my case to store pencils, thumb drives, screw drivers, and things like that is really handy.
I've built in this case twice, and can't say enough good things about it. The most important one is SIZE for a full size ATX board. If you have just a a couple of drives, there's simply no competition. The build quality is great, NO PLASTIC panels. Assembly is EXTREMELY simple. And access to everything as you build is AMAZING... I like it's little brother 300, but that's a different case alltogether. Another FUN to build case is thermaltake v1 and v21. More people should think about the looks and the experience, and different use cases.
Just the price point of this is amazing, and including 3d models for "extras" that you might want to add to your case for free is also just amazing. Just that gives alot of room for indepentent modelers to make use of the mounts and new ideas.
Bought this for my first PC build and really enjoyed it. Very easy to figure out how stuff goes together, and building around the components makes it really easy to move cables around and such. I highly recommend this case for beginners.
I got this exact case a few weeks ago. It's a brilliant design. Whoever designed this is a genius. Because this can work as a testbench with only the motherboard stand or it can work as a full case. The fact that it can fit my old E-ATX motherboard is impressive, because those are one of the largest motherboards for gaming rigs which was designed to fit in a full tower case. I'm actually surprised Linus didn't review this, since this is a hidden gem.
I actually just got this case and I'm very happy with it. I like how its more compact compared to a mid tower and I'm an avid 3d printer and already have my side panel cover with accessories (still leaving eanough space for airflow) 9/10 wish one more fan was included and the steel plates for front top and bottom were not as closed off.
Its ability to be a bunch of different case shapes, like a half cube, test bench, normal, etc, that's genuine innovation. And putting together the case looks at least as easy as an IKEA bookshelf.
I really like that design. The price is also great. Is there no option to put the PSU on the bottom? A server rack mountable version would be nice too.
@@wherearemytesticles I believe Bitwit mentioned it in his video on the case, but I don't think he showed it in that orientation. (I could be wrong though, its been a minute since I watched his)
This is the 2nd build I'm ever gonna make. First was h6 flow, which went amazing and worked perfect first try, lots of tutorials and testing using an old PC.
I've been saying for years there needs to be a case like this where you can start by making sure the parts work (ie: start as a bench) then once good go, just put the case together. The days of old-school acrylic cases were something similar but obviously, over time, it became ugly or unappealing, but the airflow wasn't good, or the case was too big. This is perfect; from the choice of color plates to the (extensive) use of holes/perforation, all the way down to what you want to put into the case vs. not having them be in there without a purpose. For $90, I can somewhat justify it considering all the features and options given. Yeah, at $70-$80 I can definitely see it being an extremely competitive case in the market.
Cool case! Also, I have a case with a similar concept in mind - Thermaltake Core V21. Sure, you can't build it wall-by-wall, but it is pretty configurable too - all panels, fan/rads bracings are detachable, so you start from a clean case frame and thi is very convenient!
If you want to mount a 280 rad in this thing, pay *very* careful attention to how *deep* the rad is. Rad depth is the primary factor of whether you can get it in with a SFF PSU. Also, you might find the default cables too short to run behind the motherboard.easily. I had to really work them. The fact that the case knocks down so quickly though really makes it easy to get everything laid out the way you want.
this is really cool. i have the Cooler Master Q300L for my server pc because their is a decent mod community for it. This case seems like it will grow into a massive customization community already. cant wait to see what people do.
I just got one of these because I liked the form factor and the carrying handle. I have a little older (so bigger) PSU, and a pretty large GPU so I was limited on fans and ended up with an intake 140 on the top and bottom, and 120mm intake on back and top aswell and have great thermals.
I would put another intake on the bottom and front, but I have hdds and my big ass PSU in the way so I just have to let the case have a little negative pressure to suck air in from the front and wherever else it feels like
Cooler master needs to make this idea actually cube shaped and have it be a nas option, i would buy that in a heartbeat, i love cube cases especially for storage options
I will use this for a water cooled build with external radiator. i always wanted a small case that could fit high end hardware and get a big radiator to place under the desk. even the largest cases have restricted airflow and you have compatibility problems from radiator size to fan mounts (those new daisy chain fans) to fitting placement. so why not put everything into a tiny box and connect it to a Mo-RA 600. no cooling issues and you can move them separatly.
I'm amazed flat packed cases aren't more common. When you're doing freight, you always want it to travel on weight. An empty full tower case, might be travelling at double it's weight, because of the volume. Also you can fit a LOT more flat packed cases into a shipping container. So that reduces the per item bulk shipping cost too.
For a lot of comments about temperature performance and noise i was a bit disappointed there wasn't any demonstration with the pc running, but i guess that is fair enough for a shortcircuit, tbh i was expecting something around the 200usd for that thing but for 100 idk i'm loving the looks of the case.
When it comes to shipping overseas by sea, it's the volume rather than the weight that incurs costs. Therefore, being able to ship 2-3 times the amount for the exact same cost means they can include an extra 30% in weight within the shipment without incurring additional shipping expenses.
Finished a built in this case 2 weeks ago and absolutely love it! Sadly mine didn’t come with the Lego kit! That was so cool! I wonder if I can track one down
I bought this a month ago and I found building the setup in the case very easy considering the size with a couple of caveats. SFX PSU is pretty much a must with long graphics cards and water cooling isn't quite as versatile as they say in the product page. Installing a 280mm AIO in the top competes with the same space as the PSU and front panel IO cables and CPU power needs to be routed through the front. Everything did fit just fine in the end, but the result isn't quite as clean as in some other cases. All in all, I'm still pretty happy with the case.
the first flatpack case that I built in is a Formd T1 case. I honestly think it's better to build your own case, especially for mini itx build because most of the time you will disassemble the case anyway.
@@RenatsMC1 sure but the Terra is insanely expensive compared to this, and quite importantly, is an ITX case not an ATX case. It might be interesting if they could take this case and do an ITX version of course - especially if some of the components were interchangeable.
I know that in SFF cases putting the PSU somewhere besides the back is common, one of several reasons I hate SFF, but in an ATX/mATX case I really want a rear mounted PSU. It just simplifies the whole build. Flat pack is much cheaper to ship as volume matters far more than weight until you get a load so dense that a fully loaded container exceeds the weight limit for such, which these cases will never even get close to. CM will get a lot more of these in each container and that makes each one cheaper to ship, likely why the price was so low. Shipping more per container is also much lower carbon usage, as again, there are simply more in the container. It looks like a good idea, and better than the last flat pack case I saw, Inwin IIRC, which was just mini ITX.
I just transplanted an old ATX-based system from a Corsair 275R into this and it was a genuine breeze. Probably helps that my GPU is just a twin-fan model, but I don't think I've ever actually *enjoyed* a build quite so much as I did with this case. I've got a few gripes, most notably that considering it's a vaunted "modular" system, you can't buy side panels or the different coloured snap-on panels separarately (I got the white version of the case), and it would be nice if you could disconnect the front power LED (the front connector all being one block is lovely, but it does take away that ability to choose not to plug in the - as usual - obnoxious blue LED power indicator), the big gap at the back is a slight concern in a flat with two cats, and there's no reset button. But overall, I love it, and I actually found it to be the easiest case I've ever built in, so no "hard mode" for me, and I'm pretty much a novice in most ways. For £55, it's a fantastic little case and looks really cool. Have heard folk saying that removing the dust filter can drop temps by about 5-10 degrees, but again; cats, so not something I'm going to be doing.
That might be the same size as their Q500L. I'm using the Q500L and love how compact it is for ATX case (and I don't paticulary like aquarium type case). Only hope that I have those feet since it is taller than Q500's pre-installed
I will say, those instructions are still better than what Caselabs used to include in their flat pack cases. Took me forever to build my SMA-8 and wound up never using it. Still sitting in a closet with a cover.
Kitguru complained about the mesh. Cooler Master already said they'd replace it with a less obstructive one. Several weeks ago. Agreed with everyone, you really want to be able to buy it without the pointless glass panel, especially as their steel panel is a pegboard and you can almost certainly mount standard pegboard fittings to it (they do seem to use similar size holes but I can't confirm it). Easier shipping is a huge bonus. You'll fit a lot more of these in a container than you will normal cases. The website doesn't show the alternative configurations that you can do and I don't think you mentioned them here either. The 'top' doesn't have to be the top, you can mount the feet on the other sides if you want different layouts. There's a document that comes with it that does show those configs but all the websites has/had was a rapidly changing gif so it's not clear how or why you'd lay it out differently.
Very cool case, conceptually. I love building stuff like this even if its quite complicated and customizable. Maybe I'm one of those guys LTT describes as "someone who likes to set things up" though.
I think this is a decent first attempt at the concept, either we'll see a mid-gen update or a massively improved second-gen product. I figure the airflow issue mostly comes down to rigidity, given that it's two sandwiched panels instead of the chassis and a beauty panel, there's no decent way around it, especially if you're hanging a radiator off of the interior panel. I also think they could get around the issue of extra panels if they just had a customization option, literally just choose your colorways and that's what gets packed in the box, rather than including multiple colorways in one product; this same mentality would also apply to other potential options, say if they went with a hex tessellation rather than the circles on a grid or even a HAF variant, or different interior components, or the potential for expansions on the base case such as doing a dual-chamber or extended case, etc. Teething issues aside, this is a _really_ good first attempt at a flat-packed modular case. Upgrading the case could also be fairly accessible, if you want a new colorway just order the panels needed, same with other potential parts if they expand the case's ecosystem. Now I want to see what other large manufacturers will end up doing within this space.
for me it makes sense for an itx case to be self assemble since it removes the step of disassembling the entire case for an easy build. 8/10 itx case just need a full disassembly to be accessible.
They're definitely saving on the shipping, a lot of high volume shippers get pretty good deals and are often charged solely by dimensions unless you hit a certain threshold.
OK I fully expected a $250-350 price tag since these cases are usually at that price point. A $90 for B&W edition is really neat. If I had no case for a PC I build for my niece for christmas, this would be 100% it. I actually paid $130 for the case for her PC (Vetroo AL800)
Not too sure about this case specifically, but I do really like that there does seem to be at least a little trend towards flat pack cases. I always wondered why so few did this. The holes and 3d printed accessories is kinda nice but I definitely doesn't seem like a mainstream feature.
It's a cool idea, but the main purpose of flatpacking stuff, is to reduce transport cost. For this case the box is hardly smaller, so flatpacking is feels like giving real flatpacked stuff the finger. They may just as well have made a normal case that happens to be customisable.
When shipping packages, the cost is either volume or weight, whichever comes out more on the calculations the carrier uses. These calculations are intentionally designed to result in higher charges for larger boxes of the same weight, because the conveyance has both a max weight and max volume, and ideally they would hit moth maximums at the same time, but most packages take up too much space for this to happen, so they want to encourage smaller packages for the same amount of weight.
on the top i just removed the filter, no need to filter the air as its leaving the case. and the mesh isn't too bad honestly with an air cooler. fans spin at 800 rpm and cool just fine.
More cases should be flat packed. Brings back innovation, lowers costs, and expands customizability. Weight isn't what makes shipping cases expensive; dimensions are. If you can fit four times more cases in the same shipping container, for about the same cost, you're able to disperse the overhead waaaaay better.
It's reasonably priced and sized, it's flat packed and it's a nice simple case. I love it. Was a hard decision to make not to get this over the Mechanic Master C26.
I just built my gf a pc with this exact case last week for Christmas. I was looking for reviews and you guys were the first one I came to. Guess I was a week early😂
actual thermal testing as a second video would be cool if they decide to revisit this in the next few weeks. im looking for a new case and i like the concept. but im afraid it will run too hot
I really enjoyed building mine but damn that instruction booklet was confusing at some points. At least the provided videos. I also like that they provided a full CAD model you can use for customization.
I feel like a smart idea for a company would be to release a case similar to this, but where the panel holes just so happened to line up to fit the ikea skadis series with it. Now that would be a killer product.
I'm actually getting one of these cases to review and build in soon, psu at the front actually makes a lot of sense since drive bays are less common nowdays, the modularity is really cool but I wonder how many people will ACTUALLY buy this over some of the other cases..
finally a case for PC building starting from the inside out. however, I'd be probably happy with the Test bench mode or an open air config for cheaper price.
Wow, you really took on the challenge with the Cooler Master QUBE 500! 😃👍 Building a PC in that case is no joke, and watching you tackle it was like watching a suspense thriller but with PCs. The way you maneuvered around the tight spaces and still managed to make everything fit perfectly is just mind-blowing. This is definitely not your average PC build, and you absolutely nailed it! It's so cool to see someone pushing the boundaries of PC building. Keep up the great work and bring on more hard mode challenges! 💪🖥
the struggle he was going through made this video so much more interesting. its nice to see that im not the only one who gets confused all the time with builds haha
really like that case MAN the hook thing! maybe a version where you "drop" the workbench version into a frame easily would be cool, but looks like a good job from Cooler Master and cool price too ;)
I think this case is a great idea, but it's based pretty heavily off of the Q300L V2, which suffers from terrible airflow and bad PSU placement. Adam is absolutely correct that having that amount of dust filters on the front, as well as the weird power supply placement will mean that this is not a case for powerful components.
If they offered replacement side panels and accessory hooks kit along with 3D print files for their standard cases as an ecosystem, it could be a really desirable product line. $99 really isn't bad.
I like the concept, and the price feels reasonable. What I would have liked to see though, is an ecosystem of parts/options rather than just a handful of alternates in the box. For instance, what if I want two mesh side panels? Or two glass ones? What about more colors? The accessory system is cool, but I think they need to offer more in terms of the core components. It's also a shame about the mesh, I wonder if some regular screen material could be used instead to achieve better airflow while still keeping dust out.
As someone who has build a pc on Cooler master master frame 700. I was so tired building just the case that I had no energy left to build the pc inside. (Even though it's an open frame type design it takes so much time and some screws not fitting is annoying af) But hey, looks unique. This seem another of thier product from fantasies, making sure building pc is all about BUILDING
The idea of a company releasing 3D models for attachments is absolutely amazing! The modular holes is something I've never seen before. I need this.
Thermaltake did it years ago
@@DukeNuggets69 what was the model?
@@Triflixfilms Core P3 is the wall mountable one that is flat packed and fully modular
@@Triflixfilms All of Thermaltake P series cases support this. They have a 3d Maker site that's been around since 2016.
Cooler master also made a bracket for the nr200 that allowed full ATX power supplies, and they made the 3d model available to download as well.
legitimately best new case in years.
i was completely expecting this to be 250 usd.
I came down to look for this comment, never in a million years would i guess that something like this is less than 200 usd and whithin my budget
I watched the video guessing at the price the whole time - I was way wrong, thought it was going to be MUCH more, so I think $90 is extremely fair. Definitely a product targeted at an enthusiast with experience building PCs. Usually that means a ludicrous price, happy to see this one is really reasonable!
I agree. It's not super cheap, but I think it hits the price point I would hope for in something that's "some assembly required." I was worried it would end up going the other direction, and be more expensive due to the R&D and/or lower production volumes. While I think they probably could have gone even lower, I'm not disappointed by the price.
I was thinking the same thing, I figured around double what it actually costs. Either way, not for me, but the price isn't too bad for what you get.
Came here to comment this as well. I was surprised it was less than $150 USD
With poor knowledge of PC case prices and the similar expectation of "enthusiast markup" i was honestly thinking something around 300-400 bucks. It's kinda weird to imagine PC cases being that cheap compared to something like keyboards, just by the apparent material costs.
So a little bit of insight from the shipping industry; couriers work on what's called 'dimensional weight'; the weight of the package is compared against what the weight of a given density of material would be for that space, to avoid undercharging for bulky light items. The dimensional weight is almost *always* used for something the size of a PC case; to use the example of a CM mastercase 500, the package (at 61cmx57cmx31cm) weighs 9kg, but would be billed as 22kg of dimensional weight. Cutting down the empty space would ABSOLUTELY reduce the shipping costs.
As someone with a caselab, building the case is just part of the pc building experience.
This looks cool enough that I may consider trying it if the thermals turn out to be even remotely close to my old Corsair 5000D Airflow. I've never built a case, and honestly this looked like more fun of an experience than trying to shove everything into a prebuilt box.
I love the option. Hopefully we’ll see more DIY cases going forward, maybe options where you select only the parts you want and they don’t ship you extras [I, for example, would never use some of the colors in the featured package, so it would just be a waste for me]
Getting a new PC, assembling it as a test bench and then finishing the case another day sounds pretty cool
Another year*
@@Jobey_99 I rebuilt my pc early this year, I still haven't bothered to put either side panel on yet.
It reminded me of my own PC build before I was able to get the case I wanted.
Reminds me so much of the sadly now failed winter one SFF case.
Flatpack honestly makes so much sense for SFF cases. For my water-cooled NR200 build, it required me to take it apart as much as I could before I started where if it was flatpacked, it would not only have been easier (more access) but also faster.
It was great building in it. Being able to easily remove the panels and adjust / make connections was so good.
The pegboard thing is nice. I mounted an Ikea "skådis" to my case and I use it every day. If I want more desk space for something not computer related I can just hang every perephial on my computer (top is already taken). Not only that, a couple of small boxes on the side of my case to store pencils, thumb drives, screw drivers, and things like that is really handy.
I build a pc "case" out of skadis :D
@@gregor2436 that sounds like a way to start your own UA-cam channel.
I've built in this case twice, and can't say enough good things about it. The most important one is SIZE for a full size ATX board. If you have just a a couple of drives, there's simply no competition. The build quality is great, NO PLASTIC panels. Assembly is EXTREMELY simple. And access to everything as you build is AMAZING... I like it's little brother 300, but that's a different case alltogether.
Another FUN to build case is thermaltake v1 and v21.
More people should think about the looks and the experience, and different use cases.
Just the price point of this is amazing, and including 3d models for "extras" that you might want to add to your case for free is also just amazing. Just that gives alot of room for indepentent modelers to make use of the mounts and new ideas.
Bought this for my first PC build and really enjoyed it. Very easy to figure out how stuff goes together, and building around the components makes it really easy to move cables around and such. I highly recommend this case for beginners.
A 9° difference with or without the mesh is crazy. Definitely one labs should test
I got this exact case a few weeks ago. It's a brilliant design. Whoever designed this is a genius. Because this can work as a testbench with only the motherboard stand or it can work as a full case. The fact that it can fit my old E-ATX motherboard is impressive, because those are one of the largest motherboards for gaming rigs which was designed to fit in a full tower case.
I'm actually surprised Linus didn't review this, since this is a hidden gem.
That is an awesome case for me and my daughter to build. I mean, the choice for pink and white cases are nill. It's priced right as well. So awesome.
I actually just got this case and I'm very happy with it. I like how its more compact compared to a mid tower and I'm an avid 3d printer and already have my side panel cover with accessories (still leaving eanough space for airflow)
9/10 wish one more fan was included and the steel plates for front top and bottom were not as closed off.
Its ability to be a bunch of different case shapes, like a half cube, test bench, normal, etc, that's genuine innovation. And putting together the case looks at least as easy as an IKEA bookshelf.
I'm in love with this thing, it's actually super affordable too!
Built it for a friend a week ago, it was a really cool experience. The quality is really good. and the "little" noctua NH-D15 fits perfectly !
Loved the music choice for this video, it’s so calming compared to the typical ones.
I really like that design. The price is also great. Is there no option to put the PSU on the bottom? A server rack mountable version would be nice too.
Yes, the PSU can be mounted in the bottom. I don't know why nobody shows it.
@@wherearemytesticles I believe Bitwit mentioned it in his video on the case, but I don't think he showed it in that orientation. (I could be wrong though, its been a minute since I watched his)
Absolutely, hands down, most likeable and watchable presenter at LMG.
This is the 2nd build I'm ever gonna make. First was h6 flow, which went amazing and worked perfect first try, lots of tutorials and testing using an old PC.
I've been saying for years there needs to be a case like this where you can start by making sure the parts work (ie: start as a bench) then once good go, just put the case together. The days of old-school acrylic cases were something similar but obviously, over time, it became ugly or unappealing, but the airflow wasn't good, or the case was too big. This is perfect; from the choice of color plates to the (extensive) use of holes/perforation, all the way down to what you want to put into the case vs. not having them be in there without a purpose. For $90, I can somewhat justify it considering all the features and options given. Yeah, at $70-$80 I can definitely see it being an extremely competitive case in the market.
if they had options for polygon cut-outs instead of circles i would consider it. And i don't think i like having the PSU up front
Cool case! Also, I have a case with a similar concept in mind - Thermaltake Core V21. Sure, you can't build it wall-by-wall, but it is pretty configurable too - all panels, fan/rads bracings are detachable, so you start from a clean case frame and thi is very convenient!
If you want to mount a 280 rad in this thing, pay *very* careful attention to how *deep* the rad is. Rad depth is the primary factor of whether you can get it in with a SFF PSU. Also, you might find the default cables too short to run behind the motherboard.easily. I had to really work them.
The fact that the case knocks down so quickly though really makes it easy to get everything laid out the way you want.
I used to have a Q300L and this case is pretty much a modular Q300L with add-ons. And Im not saying it’s bad, because I loved my case!
I have this case still and love it, this might be my next upgrade
What I loved was the front panel connector was one plug, finally :D
this is really cool. i have the Cooler Master Q300L for my server pc because their is a decent mod community for it. This case seems like it will grow into a massive customization community already. cant wait to see what people do.
As a custom PC builder, I like this case as you can paint every piece before assembly.
I just got one of these because I liked the form factor and the carrying handle. I have a little older (so bigger) PSU, and a pretty large GPU so I was limited on fans and ended up with an intake 140 on the top and bottom, and 120mm intake on back and top aswell and have great thermals.
I would put another intake on the bottom and front, but I have hdds and my big ass PSU in the way so I just have to let the case have a little negative pressure to suck air in from the front and wherever else it feels like
Cooler master needs to make this idea actually cube shaped and have it be a nas option, i would buy that in a heartbeat, i love cube cases especially for storage options
I own this case and absolutely love it. Fun to build, super high quality and it looks awesome.
I will use this for a water cooled build with external radiator. i always wanted a small case that could fit high end hardware and get a big radiator to place under the desk.
even the largest cases have restricted airflow and you have compatibility problems from radiator size to fan mounts (those new daisy chain fans) to fitting placement.
so why not put everything into a tiny box and connect it to a Mo-RA 600. no cooling issues and you can move them separatly.
Volume is usually more expensive on container ships than weight.
I'm amazed flat packed cases aren't more common.
When you're doing freight, you always want it to travel on weight. An empty full tower case, might be travelling at double it's weight, because of the volume. Also you can fit a LOT more flat packed cases into a shipping container. So that reduces the per item bulk shipping cost too.
Wait, my box didn't come with the lego!!!
For a lot of comments about temperature performance and noise i was a bit disappointed there wasn't any demonstration with the pc running, but i guess that is fair enough for a shortcircuit, tbh i was expecting something around the 200usd for that thing but for 100 idk i'm loving the looks of the case.
Can't wait for the Perfect Grade version of this
1:29 The numbers, Mason! What do they mean?
When it comes to shipping overseas by sea, it's the volume rather than the weight that incurs costs. Therefore, being able to ship 2-3 times the amount for the exact same cost means they can include an extra 30% in weight within the shipment without incurring additional shipping expenses.
It'd be really cool if you made and showcased a few of the 3D-printable accessories, too! :)
Finished a built in this case 2 weeks ago and absolutely love it! Sadly mine didn’t come with the Lego kit! That was so cool! I wonder if I can track one down
I bought this a month ago and I found building the setup in the case very easy considering the size with a couple of caveats. SFX PSU is pretty much a must with long graphics cards and water cooling isn't quite as versatile as they say in the product page. Installing a 280mm AIO in the top competes with the same space as the PSU and front panel IO cables and CPU power needs to be routed through the front. Everything did fit just fine in the end, but the result isn't quite as clean as in some other cases. All in all, I'm still pretty happy with the case.
Yeah it seems to me to be a mesh case as in no glass panel since like you said hiding the cable is harder
Where's the LTT meteor lake review?
I'm just saying, I would absolutely watch front to back a genuine, seriously made unboxing and build experience video of the lego kit
the first flatpack case that I built in is a Formd T1 case. I honestly think it's better to build your own case, especially for mini itx build because most of the time you will disassemble the case anyway.
Fractal Design Terra is also a good case for its build small form factor and you can put in even RTX 4090 if you wanted to and i9
@@RenatsMC1 the Formd T1 is better tho
@@RenatsMC1 sure but the Terra is insanely expensive compared to this, and quite importantly, is an ITX case not an ATX case. It might be interesting if they could take this case and do an ITX version of course - especially if some of the components were interchangeable.
I know that in SFF cases putting the PSU somewhere besides the back is common, one of several reasons I hate SFF, but in an ATX/mATX case I really want a rear mounted PSU. It just simplifies the whole build.
Flat pack is much cheaper to ship as volume matters far more than weight until you get a load so dense that a fully loaded container exceeds the weight limit for such, which these cases will never even get close to. CM will get a lot more of these in each container and that makes each one cheaper to ship, likely why the price was so low. Shipping more per container is also much lower carbon usage, as again, there are simply more in the container.
It looks like a good idea, and better than the last flat pack case I saw, Inwin IIRC, which was just mini ITX.
I just transplanted an old ATX-based system from a Corsair 275R into this and it was a genuine breeze. Probably helps that my GPU is just a twin-fan model, but I don't think I've ever actually *enjoyed* a build quite so much as I did with this case. I've got a few gripes, most notably that considering it's a vaunted "modular" system, you can't buy side panels or the different coloured snap-on panels separarately (I got the white version of the case), and it would be nice if you could disconnect the front power LED (the front connector all being one block is lovely, but it does take away that ability to choose not to plug in the - as usual - obnoxious blue LED power indicator), the big gap at the back is a slight concern in a flat with two cats, and there's no reset button.
But overall, I love it, and I actually found it to be the easiest case I've ever built in, so no "hard mode" for me, and I'm pretty much a novice in most ways. For £55, it's a fantastic little case and looks really cool. Have heard folk saying that removing the dust filter can drop temps by about 5-10 degrees, but again; cats, so not something I'm going to be doing.
That might be the same size as their Q500L. I'm using the Q500L and love how compact it is for ATX case (and I don't paticulary like aquarium type case). Only hope that I have those feet since it is taller than Q500's pre-installed
I will say, those instructions are still better than what Caselabs used to include in their flat pack cases. Took me forever to build my SMA-8 and wound up never using it. Still sitting in a closet with a cover.
Built this for a dedicated streaming rig I wanted really small, this did the job fantastically. case feels real nice too.
i would love to see them make an itx version of this. or even an updated nr200p using this kind of design/system.
Kitguru complained about the mesh. Cooler Master already said they'd replace it with a less obstructive one. Several weeks ago.
Agreed with everyone, you really want to be able to buy it without the pointless glass panel, especially as their steel panel is a pegboard and you can almost certainly mount standard pegboard fittings to it (they do seem to use similar size holes but I can't confirm it). Easier shipping is a huge bonus. You'll fit a lot more of these in a container than you will normal cases.
The website doesn't show the alternative configurations that you can do and I don't think you mentioned them here either. The 'top' doesn't have to be the top, you can mount the feet on the other sides if you want different layouts. There's a document that comes with it that does show those configs but all the websites has/had was a rapidly changing gif so it's not clear how or why you'd lay it out differently.
Very cool case, conceptually. I love building stuff like this even if its quite complicated and customizable. Maybe I'm one of those guys LTT describes as "someone who likes to set things up" though.
I think this is a decent first attempt at the concept, either we'll see a mid-gen update or a massively improved second-gen product. I figure the airflow issue mostly comes down to rigidity, given that it's two sandwiched panels instead of the chassis and a beauty panel, there's no decent way around it, especially if you're hanging a radiator off of the interior panel. I also think they could get around the issue of extra panels if they just had a customization option, literally just choose your colorways and that's what gets packed in the box, rather than including multiple colorways in one product; this same mentality would also apply to other potential options, say if they went with a hex tessellation rather than the circles on a grid or even a HAF variant, or different interior components, or the potential for expansions on the base case such as doing a dual-chamber or extended case, etc. Teething issues aside, this is a _really_ good first attempt at a flat-packed modular case. Upgrading the case could also be fairly accessible, if you want a new colorway just order the panels needed, same with other potential parts if they expand the case's ecosystem. Now I want to see what other large manufacturers will end up doing within this space.
for me it makes sense for an itx case to be self assemble since it removes the step of disassembling the entire case for an easy build. 8/10 itx case just need a full disassembly to be accessible.
They're definitely saving on the shipping, a lot of high volume shippers get pretty good deals and are often charged solely by dimensions unless you hit a certain threshold.
OK I fully expected a $250-350 price tag since these cases are usually at that price point. A $90 for B&W edition is really neat. If I had no case for a PC I build for my niece for christmas, this would be 100% it. I actually paid $130 for the case for her PC (Vetroo AL800)
Not too sure about this case specifically, but I do really like that there does seem to be at least a little trend towards flat pack cases. I always wondered why so few did this.
The holes and 3d printed accessories is kinda nice but I definitely doesn't seem like a mainstream feature.
It's a cool idea, but the main purpose of flatpacking stuff, is to reduce transport cost. For this case the box is hardly smaller, so flatpacking is feels like giving real flatpacked stuff the finger. They may just as well have made a normal case that happens to be customisable.
When shipping packages, the cost is either volume or weight, whichever comes out more on the calculations the carrier uses. These calculations are intentionally designed to result in higher charges for larger boxes of the same weight, because the conveyance has both a max weight and max volume, and ideally they would hit moth maximums at the same time, but most packages take up too much space for this to happen, so they want to encourage smaller packages for the same amount of weight.
The case build is cool and all, but I really want to see that Lego Pico case!
on the top i just removed the filter, no need to filter the air as its leaving the case. and the mesh isn't too bad honestly with an air cooler. fans spin at 800 rpm and cool just fine.
More cases should be flat packed. Brings back innovation, lowers costs, and expands customizability. Weight isn't what makes shipping cases expensive; dimensions are. If you can fit four times more cases in the same shipping container, for about the same cost, you're able to disperse the overhead waaaaay better.
Looks are good enough, and I do like the idea of building the case. But now gonna need us some thermal and air flow testing!
It's reasonably priced and sized, it's flat packed and it's a nice simple case. I love it. Was a hard decision to make not to get this over the Mechanic Master C26.
Bravo adam, your presentation and energy has become so good, it seems so natural to you! keep it up!
I just built my gf a pc with this exact case last week for Christmas. I was looking for reviews and you guys were the first one I came to. Guess I was a week early😂
next year "testing the first foldable pc case" - there is so much karagamii inspired stuff right now, would just make sense :D
Seems like a nice case. Cooler Master has good products indeed
Kind of like a Lego that you get to play games on when you are done! I could see getting this for my kids to build their first PC “from scratch”
There are environmental benefits if the boxes take up less volume. So they can ship more units per container/truck.
Honestly looks like a pretty fun case to build in. I'm too basic and use a Corsair 4000d airflow.
actual thermal testing as a second video would be cool if they decide to revisit this in the next few weeks. im looking for a new case and i like the concept. but im afraid it will run too hot
Thanks for the vid, I was quite interested in this case, looks fun :D
I really enjoyed building mine but damn that instruction booklet was confusing at some points. At least the provided videos. I also like that they provided a full CAD model you can use for customization.
actually it was pc building on easy mode. much easier than building in a normal case. you build it as you go.
Definitely considering 2 of these for my kids computers.
I feel like a smart idea for a company would be to release a case similar to this, but where the panel holes just so happened to line up to fit the ikea skadis series with it. Now that would be a killer product.
the Qube 500 seems like a great case for lan parties, especially cause of that handle
I'm actually getting one of these cases to review and build in soon, psu at the front actually makes a lot of sense since drive bays are less common nowdays, the modularity is really cool but I wonder how many people will ACTUALLY buy this over some of the other cases..
For this price? Sure!
Great idea and design solutions 👍 I love it!
In Australia, shipping is largely focused on the space it takes, rather than weight.
I'm extremely tempted to grab a few of these and then design and 3d print components to build a mini-sized rack.
CONGRATS!
finally a case for PC building starting from the inside out. however, I'd be probably happy with the Test bench mode or an open air config for cheaper price.
Wow, you really took on the challenge with the Cooler Master QUBE 500! 😃👍
Building a PC in that case is no joke, and watching you tackle it was like watching a suspense thriller but with PCs. The way you maneuvered around the tight spaces and still managed to make everything fit perfectly is just mind-blowing. This is definitely not your average PC build, and you absolutely nailed it! It's so cool to see someone pushing the boundaries of PC building. Keep up the great work and bring on more hard mode challenges! 💪🖥
for shipping its more about the volume than the weight, which I think is helping them save money
Cube makes sense, all a cube is a 3D shape that has 6 sides and all meet at a right angle
the struggle he was going through made this video so much more interesting. its nice to see that im not the only one who gets confused all the time with builds haha
A cube doesn't have to be square. For emphasis: A CUBE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SQUARE
really like that case MAN the hook thing! maybe a version where you "drop" the workbench version into a frame easily would be cool, but looks like a good job from Cooler Master and cool price too ;)
i like the handle the best! but great video thanks i wish there were more cases with handles
That cable management is supreme ;P
love this case and idea , and the end of the video was so funny to me lol
I think this case is a great idea, but it's based pretty heavily off of the Q300L V2, which suffers from terrible airflow and bad PSU placement. Adam is absolutely correct that having that amount of dust filters on the front, as well as the weird power supply placement will mean that this is not a case for powerful components.
Great video Adam! When's Shea gonna host a Short Circuit?
If they offered replacement side panels and accessory hooks kit along with 3D print files for their standard cases as an ecosystem, it could be a really desirable product line. $99 really isn't bad.
I like the concept, and the price feels reasonable. What I would have liked to see though, is an ecosystem of parts/options rather than just a handful of alternates in the box. For instance, what if I want two mesh side panels? Or two glass ones? What about more colors? The accessory system is cool, but I think they need to offer more in terms of the core components. It's also a shame about the mesh, I wonder if some regular screen material could be used instead to achieve better airflow while still keeping dust out.
As someone who has build a pc on Cooler master master frame 700. I was so tired building just the case that I had no energy left to build the pc inside. (Even though it's an open frame type design it takes so much time and some screws not fitting is annoying af) But hey, looks unique. This seem another of thier product from fantasies, making sure building pc is all about BUILDING