'Dune Case' for PCs Copies Mac Pro's Cylindrical Design

[alexandercgomez]

While, like they say in marketing and politics - answer the question you wish you were asked instead of the question you were asked, and there's no such thing as bad publicity. You at least have those down.



The gap doesn't exist because bridging it hasn't been tried, it's because every time PC manufacturers try, they fail. Perhaps you'll have better luck, but the burden will be on you. Kickstarter's own stats shows that Technology projects have a 19.96% success rate. CNN reports 84% of the top 50 funded projects missed their delivery dates. The 120 day timeline seems extremely aggressive, specs are vague, this is very much a "trust me" project, and based on your dodginess in answering some basic questions, and the fact the entire thing is a shameless clone (down to the kickstarter video), I'd be careful. None of the prototype pictures look anything like the renderings. Have you even tested a prototype that matches the rendering and drawings? So in 120 days you are going to prototype, make revisions, ramp up production and ship?

No way. I've worked with Asian manufacturers enough to know that ain't gonna happen.

And all that aside, the case design is completely compromised. It looks sharp from the outside, but without the heat sink core that makes this design work for Apple, without a custom fan, relying on off the shelf components, this chassis is all about aesthetics at the expense of functionality.

- The case is 70% larger by volume than the Mac Pro. People who are expecting something with the compact footprint of a Mac Pro are going to be disappointed.
- Despite that, it looks very tight inside. The page suggests it will fit any Mini-ITX motherboard, but there's no specifics on boards that have been tested to fit, and will work with the header board. Again, "trust me, it will all all work fine". But without a working prototype, he probably doesn't even know what will work.
- The spec'd case fan is rated at 30 dB. That's loud. And that's just the case fan, there's also the CPU fan and GPU fan(s). It's gonna be loud and run hot unless you're using low power components. It's a single 140mm fan in a case with very questionable airflow, and since it doesn't use custom or even consistently spec'd components, what can be done with ducting is limited. Expect to figure that out yourself as a customer, or just run it loud and hope for the best. If you've ever looked at the ducting inside the pre-2013 Mac Pro's, it's extremely well designed and precise. That's critical. And that is not what is happening here.
- While the case fan cover does look nice, it also looks restrictive. How much does it effect airflow? Has it been tested? Again, just trust them that it'll work.
- The CPU and GPU fans are oriented perpendicular to the general airflow in the case, and will exhaust pretty much directly against other flat surfaces. That is extremely sub-optimal.
- The website claims that it will run the fastest i7 on the market. Which would be 140w TDP. Yet it also states it's only been tested with a 50mm x 90mm CPU heatsink/fan. That's not going to cool 140w, especially when the heatsink fan sits right against a flat wall and is perpendicular to the flow of the case. So what will it work with? Another "trust me".

It's a compromised design, all the pictures are renderings except for prototypes that are dramatically different (ATX power supply?), the engineering is extremely questionable, the timeline is unrealistic. I give it 50/50 that it ships in a year and comes close to living up to the specs and promises. And that's assuming there are no legal issues.

Rob

Rob .. Thanks for your comments .. We have worked around the clock with our manufacturing partners to make sure we can deliver a product. Before taking this to Kickstarter we had to look at all aspects of the case and we have come up with cleaver techniques to achieve this without compromising the aesthetics and keep cost down. Before looking at manufacturing I consulted industry experts and designers that make products for some of the biggest names in the industry and factories in the Shenzhen area. I have also brought in Kip Kokinakis and he is the Co-Founder of the Dune Case. He was the CEO of Aureal 3D Audio (A3D) for those who remember the A3D back in the 90s, previous CEO of MyVu and has more than 30 years of manufacturing experience. I admit coming into this I learned a lot about manufacturing. But when making a world class product, I can't rely on speculation but rather on people with experience and track record that can deliver. With Kips experience and his involvement in this project, I am with out any doubt we will deliver the Dune Case. Everything we have said on delivery was carefully measured and I am very confident that Dune Case will succeed and deliver on what we promised.

In regards to positioning of parts and performance. We have tested this in using industry standard software. First, it took us a while to design this. Once we got the design right we simulated this to identify hot spots inside the case. We then revised the drawings and engineered this right. If we had a model to look from we could of done this in 1 month.. but the fact is no one has attempted to do what we did using industry standard parts and it took us a year. Through fine tuning the results are impressive considering the small form factor. We got the volume down to 9.7lt and analysed heat spots inside the case and re engineered. On 100% stress test using a i7 4770 and 970 GTX mini ITX, the GPU was 65 degrees Celsius and CPU was 57-59 degrees celsius. The power supply we used was a Silverstone SFX PSU 450 W gold cert and it is quite common to buy. Also Silverstone has a 600w SFX PSU as well. Once again we have on board creditable people and a great team behind this with track record on delivery. I have no doubt and have full confidence in Dune Case. Once people have it in there hands to and experience what I have with using the Dune Case, I believe it only get better from there. So why not be the first one to have it and join me in that experience .. I have that experience and I hope you can have that too ...

 

[robzr]

Rob .. Thanks for your comments .. We have worked around the clock with our manufacturing partners to make sure we can deliver a product. Before taking this to Kickstarter we had to look at all aspects of the case and we have come up with cleaver techniques to achieve this without compromising the aesthetics and keep cost down. Before looking at manufacturing I consulted industry experts and designers that make products for some of the biggest names in the industry and factories in the Shenzhen area. I have also brought in Kip Kokinakis and he is the Co-Founder of the Dune Case. He was the CEO of Aureal 3D Audio (A3D) for those who remember the A3D back in the 90s, previous CEO of MyVu and has more than 30 years of manufacturing experience. I admit coming into this I learned a lot about manufacturing. But when making a world class product, I can't rely on speculation but rather on people with experience and track record that can deliver. With Kips experience and his involvement in this project, I am with out any doubt we will deliver the Dune Case. Everything we have said on delivery was carefully measured and I am very confident that Dune Case will succeed and deliver on what we promised.

So do you have a working prototype that resembles the renderings? Are the pics you posted the closest prototypes you have?

I've worked with companies in Shenzhen, I really hope for your sake that you are not trusting them to do the engineering for you, because I guarantee you and your customers will be disappointed.

Rob

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

Hi Mr Brightside .. really appreciate your deepest concerns about the Dune Case and my purpose here is to help and educate people to understand what is the Dune Case and its offering. Firstly the Dune Case is a PC case not a desktop computer. Second this case has been designed from the ground up. As stated before the internal design of this case is really different to anything out there in the PC case market .. Please look at the image bellow:

Front Panel
The front panel is the Input and Output connections for the case. It serves as the bridge to connect the external devices to the motherboard, graphics card, and power supply. The connector consists of the following:
4 x USB 3.0 Connectors
2 x HDMI 2.0 Connectors or 2 x Display Port Connectors
1 x 3.5mm Female Headphone / Speaker output
1 x 3.5mm Female Microphone jack input
1 x Ethernet port – Supports up to 1 GigE 1 x Power on / off button

The connectors are all put on to a custom PCB. USB, Audio, Ethernet and power cables connect to the PCB and is routed to the motherboard. The display connectors are the same but connects to the graphics card or motherboard if a graphics card is not present and motherboard has on-board graphics. The custom cables are sized to fit exactly to the dimensions of the case.

The cables are connected to the front panel PCB from the bottom of the PCB. Once connected it routes into the PSU holder.

PSU Holder – Cables
The PSU holder has an Input and Output opening for cables. The input opening of the PSU holder joins directly to the bottom of the front panel. The input opening allows cables from the front panel to route into the PSU holder and to continue routing to the output opening which leads to the middle section of the case and finally to the motherboard / graphics card. The input opening also allows the power cable to be connected to the SFX PSU from the front panel.

The output opening enables routing from the input opening to continue, but also allows cables from the PSU to be distributed to the motherboard, graphics card, hard drives.

PSU Holder – Mount and Airflow
The PSU holder mount has two purpose, mounting and air flow. When mounting the PSU, it will be accessed from the bottom of the case. The positioning of the PSU needs to be air input from the bottom and pushing the air horizontally out towards the front panel. The design of the mount was to also segregate the air input from the bottom vents of the case into two section, graphics card and motherboard. This is done with air vents from the bottom of the case flowing directly to the graphics card and air vents for the CPU is sourced through the PSU pulling air from the bottom.

Mid-Section – Cable Management and Hard Drive Mounts
The mid-section of the case is positioned between the motherboard plate and behind the GPU door. It is a very important part of the case and helps with air flow distribution inside the case. The mid-section also manages the cables from the output opening of the PSU mount and provides a pathway for the cables to connect to the GPU and motherboard. The Mid-section has 2 x 2.5 inch brackets for hard drives. The power for the hard drives are sourced from the PSU through the output opening of the PSU mount. The SATA cables are managed through the motherboard back plate with an opening for power, SATA cables, and front panel motherboard connectors. The top of the Mid-Section is left open to allow the display cables to connect to the GPU and other cables to be connected to the motherboard back plate.

GPU Door Mount
The GPU door mount is unique and has two functions, mount GPU and hide cables. The door has an opening for the PCIe port to allow GPU card connect to the motherboard. A PCIe extender is mounted to the door near the opening to avoid any vibration from the GPU. The PCIe extender is then routed through the mid-section of the case and connects to the PCIe port on the motherboard. The door also hides the cables that resides behind when closed. When the door is open it allows access to the cables management of the case and mounts for the hard drives. The GPU door mount is built for GPU with a maximum of 2 slots and a maximum length of 185mm

140mm Case Fan
On top of the chassis of the case, a 140mm case fan is placed to help accelerate hot air out of the case. The fan mount for the fan is an exact fit allowing for optimal air flow. The fan pulls hot air from both GPU and CPU areas. Other non-standard fans can be replaced provided it is the same shape and size. The specs for the 140mm case fan is the following:
Dimensions: L150 mm x H140 mm x W13 mm
Rated Speed: 700~1300RPM±15% Noise Level: 30.6dBA(Max.)
Air Flow: 64.52CFM

Wi-Fi
The place for additional Wi-Fi antennas (optional) is placed on the Case Fan mount and position for best performance. The Wi-Fi antennas are not included.

CPU Clearance
The CPU cooling fan has a potential maximum height of 60MM.

Testing Equipment
We tested the Dune Case with the following equipment:
Intel i7 4770k
Intel Stock Fan (50x90x90mm)
Asus P8Z77-I DELUXE
Corsair 16GB DDR3
Silverstone ST45SF-G 450W Gold Certified
Intel 535 Series 2.5" 240GB
GALAX GeForce GTX 970 OC  

Case Temps
When testing with the equipment listed we used Prime 95 to do 100% stress test on all cores on the CPU. We tested this with outside climate of 30 degrees Celsius and humidity of 80-95%. We constantly got CPU temps between 58-59 degrees’ Celsius left for more than 6 hours of testing. We tested the GPU using Furmark stress test. In the same weather conditions and a 100% stress test on the GPU core we achieved a consistent 65 degrees Celsius.

I hope that gives you a better understanding in detail of what this case to offer and how different it is to the conventional PC case

Ok, if you're not going to dignify my comments with a response, don't bother replying at all.

 

[alexandercgomez]

So do you have a working prototype that resembles the renderings? Are the pics you posted the closest prototypes you have?

I've worked with companies in Shenzhen, I really hope for your sake that you are not trusting them to do the engineering for you, because I guarantee you and your customers will be disappointed.

Rob

Rob .. In regards to manufacturing processes I think Shenzhen has one of the best in the world in regards manufacturing delivery. But in regards to design I had to get a very talented guy from Europe to come to Asia and work side by side with the manufacturing engineer. It was to identify everyone strengths and highlight them and bring them together. Also Kip with his network in Shenzhen and 30 years experience in manufacturing in China I have no doubt. But your right in some points and that why we validate before making commitment. Proven track record, quality designer from Europe, world class manufacture with capability and a visionary that want to change the way we think about the PC case

 

[itguy06]

I may be wrong, but you can't patent a "look." The fashion industry is a great example of this. There are exactly ZERO IP protections in the fashion industry and we're all the better for it.

You are wrong. Google Design Patent. It's a patent on a particular design.

It's why Skechers constantly gets sued because they rip off others' designs for footwear. It's why you don't see anyone else doing the LV sign on handbags. Or why the Rolexo watches don't make it. Or why I can make a "polo" (button down collared shirt) but not any of Ralph Lauren's designs.

Here's some light reading:
http://www.uspto.gov/patents-gettin...-applications/design-patent-application-guide

 

[Taz Mangus]

I've read this a few times and can't make any sense out of it. Unix is horrible and sluggish? What planet are you living on? UNIX happily runs on routers with 2 mb of flash a 4 mb of RAM, it powers countless embedded devices and 97% of today's smartphones, where efficiency (which directly correlates to battery life and therefore physical footprint) and stability are amongst the most important considerations. UNIX powers the vast majority of servers these days, the only real competitor in the last 25 years has been in a massive and steady decline. UNIX (tm), POSIX, is academic and irrelevant, the UNIX philosophy and UNIX derivative OS's make up essentially everything that is relevant today.

Rob

I agree, the poster made absolutely no sense. Particularly the part about Unix being greedy. Unix is used more and more in the automotive industry for embedded software, from clusters and head units.

 

[MH01]

Rob ... What can I say?? from the original comments to this comment I take my hat off to you .. You said "significantly better than pretty much any other PC case" .. and .. "You clearly have some design talent, attention to detail, willingness to put time, effort and energy into making something high quality" ... I am really humbled by your comments and in some ways to see some change in views and appreciation for what I have done I'm really lost for words .. thanks mate ..

While we don't share same views on everything we both agree that there is clearly a gap in the PC market for quality builds, designs, and attention to detail. I personally feel that in the PC space that too many designers are playing it safe and not taking risks. Just sticking to what they know (the traditional box design) and making it look better. And keeping cost down with cheaper materials and processes that can be put into mass production to maximize profit.

I hope that the Dune case is a breakthrough in the way the PC market manufactures and designs PC cases. Thanks for you comments Rob ... Alexander Gomez
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Here is a picture for you mate .. its not anodized but its raw aluminium that is polished .. But yes the offering is in Gold and Black

Okay damn, that picture looks like a Mac Pro lol. 99% of people looking at it will say it's a Mac Pro.

Please stop pretending your revolutionising the PC markert, and this is a breakthrough etc etc . Just be humble and carry on .

To quote you "I personally feel that in the PC space that too many designers are playing it safe and not taking risks"

Mate it does not get any safer than taking apples design..... You took no design risks. I've said many times I want you to do well, but frankly as this thread had moved on, I'm seeing arrogance and delusion , and as a PC user this is no breakthrough product, it's a Mac Pro case, it was designed and manufactured in 2013. Please answer people questions but don't pretend you are a visionary....at least day apples Mac Pro inspired the design

 

[nicho]

@alexandercgomez why is the black shiny rather than matte like the gold offering?

I think even the elephant in the room knows that one.
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Okay damn, that picture looks like a Mac Pro lol. 99% of people looking at it will say it's a Mac Pro.

Please stop pretending your revolutionising the PC markert, and this is a breakthrough etc etc . Just be humble and carry on .

To quote you "I personally feel that in the PC space that too many designers are playing it safe and not taking risks"

Mate it does not get any safer than taking apples design..... You took no design risks. I've said many times I want you to do well, but frankly as this thread had moved on, I'm seeing arrogance and delusion , and as a PC user this is no breakthrough product, it's a Mac Pro case, it was designed and manufactured in 2013. Please answer people questions but don't pretend you are a visionary....at least day apples Mac Pro inspired the design

I agree wholeheartedly. Putting something into a different shape to copy somethings look "because it looks nice" is pretty shameless and like you said, not revolutionary. Similarly, making it round because of the round fan on the top is hardly reinventing the wheel.

If the designer came up with some kind of fan less system that moved air like a dyson air blade up in a vortex around the outside, I could understand it being cylindrical by design rather than by rote. Perhaps he should go away and do that and invent something truly great.

 

[alexandercgomez]

Okay damn, that picture looks like a Mac Pro lol. 99% of people looking at it will say it's a Mac Pro.

Please stop pretending your revolutionising the PC markert, and this is a breakthrough etc etc . Just be humble and carry on .

To quote you "I personally feel that in the PC space that too many designers are playing it safe and not taking risks"

Mate it does not get any safer than taking apples design..... You took no design risks. I've said many times I want you to do well, but frankly as this thread had moved on, I'm seeing arrogance and delusion , and as a PC user this is no breakthrough product, it's a Mac Pro case, it was designed and manufactured in 2013. Please answer people questions but don't pretend you are a visionary....at least day apples Mac Pro inspired the design

MH01 thanks for your comments .. I humbly apologise if you felt my comments were offensive to you. But I do feel we have taken a different approach to the PC.

Designing inside of this case was a challenge to use industry standard parts. The parts are not custom built and was intended for the custom builder to give freedom to choose what they feel is best inside the case. The other challenge was thermal dynamics to work with standard case fans. 140mm fans are common these days but we needed to find a way to get the hot air out of the case without load in the fan. The design of the GPU to hide cables and mint HDD has not been seen before and I creatively did that and the way a bracket houses the PSU and splits air flow into two chambers. And this was all tested using solid works to identify heat spots inside the case ... We analysed and made changes to optimize performance. Every part we design has a purpose from air flow, thermal dynamics and temperatures. We used what we had and find the best way to house it in the small form factor.

I don't believe there is an existing case with similar design as in air flow for the PSU bracket, GPU mount for the door, and a compartment when opens access HDD and cables. I do believe I am taking a new approach on the PC as I have not seen a case with the internal designs for standard parts.

In regards to designers playing it safe ... I am referencing to that there are so many good designers out there with really good designs but their ideas and designs get shut down because of the cost to manufacture. I have see so many concept cars on the market when I go to those car shows but I never actually see one come to life. With the dune case we have an experienced CAD engineer, and an experienced manufacture come together and work things out and use cleaver techniques to achieve what we want with the dune case.

Once again I humbly apologise if you were offended by my comments.

 

[nicho]

I do believe I am taking a new approach on the PC as I have not seen a case with the internal designs for standard parts.

You should probably clarify or rephrase before someone shows you every standard case ever made...

 

[alexandercgomez]

You should probably clarify or rephrase before someone shows you every standard case ever made...

Hi nicho thanks for you comments .. yes I do believe cables have been hidden behind doors and air flow in cases have been optimized before. But I have yet to see a case that has a PSU mount that splits airflow for two compartments, a door that mounts a GPU and behind that door when opens has access to HDD and manages cables in a cylindrical design to accommodate standard parts ... I hope that has clarified why the Dune Case is a different approach on the PC

 

[chromite]

Perfect imitation

 

[nicho]

Hi nicho thanks for you comments .. yes I do believe cables have been hidden behind doors and air flow in cases have been optimized before. But I have yet to see a case that has a PSU mount that splits airflow for two compartments, a door that mounts a GPU and behind that door when opens has access to HDD and manages cables in a cylindrical design to accommodate standard parts ... I hope that has clarified why the Dune Case is a different approach on the PC

Somebody posted a picture of a powermac (G3 or G4?) with the motherboard on the door... So you can't have looked very hard can you.

All these other design challenges - you mention the reason briefly at the end. If you have to make all these concessions etc to make it round, then you're CLEARLY designing a PC case with the intention of it being round (ie copying the look of the Mac Pro) and working accordingly, rather than finding the most appropriate shape for the parts at hand.

 

[toke lahti]

Hi there toke lahti .. I'm in the process of talking to a manufacture about the USB-C option as many have expressed that it would be a good option. I am waiting to get some confirm answers from them. If so the USB-C option will give ease to those that are looking for that option. But that will also be subject to that the buyer has a motherboard with USB-C support.

If you need to think what ports are needed, just check what most powerful gpu cards have. UsbC is of course nice, but way in the future right now. I'd say 2 dp's is a minimum with at least one hdmi. You might even think about space for dvi..?
Maybe changeable socket plates like normal cases have?

 

[alexandercgomez]

Somebody posted a picture of a powermac (G3 or G4?) with the motherboard on the door... So you can't have looked very hard can you.

All these other design challenges - you mention the reason briefly at the end. If you have to make all these concessions etc to make it round, then you're CLEARLY designing a PC case with the intention of it being round (ie copying the look of the Mac Pro) and working accordingly, rather than finding the most appropriate shape for the parts at hand.

Hi nicho .. love the G3 man thats bringing back memories as I haven't seen one in years .. thanks for the throw back ... As you can see on the Dune case GPU mount to the door is not part of the exterior of the case but a door inside to access cables and HDD.. The way it is access is quite different and its functionality also it is back to back with the motherboard.

Every case maker out there has challenges weather its a cube, sphere, cone, square, rectangle, and cylinder. In the past there has been some really cool designs. "FIC Piston" in 2005 did a really cool design of a PC in a cylindrical shape. I love the G3 how its designed with the door on the exterior that was designed in a rectangle box. The Dune Case is no different and has its a very unique internal design.

 

[nicho]

[edit: quoted wrong post but I don't think that matters too much]

Hi nicho thanks for you comments .. yes I do believe cables have been hidden behind doors and air flow in cases have been optimized before. But I have yet to see a case that has a PSU mount that splits airflow for two compartments, a door that mounts a GPU and behind that door when opens has access to HDD and manages cables in a cylindrical design to accommodate standard parts ... I hope that has clarified why the Dune Case is a different approach on the PC

Also, before you get on your high horse again about how this is a case and not a pc, the case is a component of the pc and on the case of many of apples products the most visually unique and recognisable part.

Are you familiar with this : http://jalopnik.com/judge-rules-replica-kit-cars-illegal-1444390832 - it may apply in this case; if Apple can argue you set out to replicate their look. And they probably could, you set out to create a round computer and then thought of some admittedly creative ways to do it.

Have you considered machining a dodecagon or other multi-sided case (a 20 sided icosagon even) to have a back up plan?

 

[lunchboxer]

Apple didn't invent the cylinder. Why should they have any ownership over the concept?

 

[alexandercgomez]

If you need to think what ports are needed, just check what most powerful gpu cards have. UsbC is of course nice, but way in the future right now. I'd say 2 dp's is a minimum with at least one hdmi. You might even think about space for dvi..?
Maybe changeable socket plates like normal cases have?

Hi toke lahti ... you da man .. at the moment it will be either 2 DP 1.2 or 2 HDMI 2.0 .. I actually started with DVI as a lot of people are still using DVI but I limited it to 2 ports for the display DVI also sticks out like a thumb and it didnt look right.. Changeable sockets was one of the cards on the table but was difficult as it did take up real estate inside the case and could cramp the CPU fan. Majority of people will use 1 - 2 monitors and based on that some sacrifices where made. But USB-C is one to consider thanks mate

 

[toke lahti]

MSI made an interesting gaming PC called the MSI Vortex.

They managed to put two Nvidia GTX 980 in SLI inside... but they are MXM cards. That's supposedly a standard for smaller graphics cards which, I think, was originally designed for laptops.

But you're right... normal PCIe graphics cards have a tough time fitting inside such small cases.

And forget about two of them

Not sure about the upgrade path... I doubt there will be an abundance of MXM cards in the future. But at least it's somewhat of a standard versus Apple's custom FirePro cards!



Agreed. And that's what it all comes down to. You can already get tiny cube-shaped cases that accept normal PC components without all the tradeoffs of cylindrical cases.

Sure... this Dune case is less than 9 inches across... but where are you putting it where need it to take up so little space?

If I had to build a Mini-ITX PC for one GPU... I'd use this case:

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2014/01/10/cooler-master-elite-110-mini-itx-case-launc/

It's tiny... accepts a normal ATX power supply... accepts up to 210mm GPUs... accepts three standard 3.5" hard drives or four 2.5" drives... accepts watercooling... etc.

And if you need two GPUs... you gonna have to step up to a larger motherboard and a larger case anyway.

That coolermaster's cube is nice, if only they started using quiet 20cm fans, when there is dimension for them.

I think computer cases needs total rethink on dimensions. Same thing than with home theather amps. Displays have gone from 2-3 feet deep to one inch deep, but cases are still the same. How stupid. I think pc cases should be "book shelf deep". Even case modders, who like colorful lights and see-through doors would like this. Front connectors should then be at the long side of the case. Back connctors could be either left or right side (shorter side, preferrarrably you could turn motherboard 180 degrees. Back connectors could be behind a door with neat passage for cables. Smaller form factor could have pci cards in vertical orientation. Storage units could be inserted from longer side and 5,25" fronts would also be on the long side. Actually the full depth of 5,25" device would define the depth of the whole case.

And yes, I didn't have enough legos when I was a kid...
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Hi toke lahti ... you da man .. at the moment it will be either 2 DP 1.2 or 2 HDMI 2.0 .. I actually started with DVI as a lot of people are still using DVI but I limited it to 2 ports for the display DVI also sticks out like a thumb and it didnt look right.. Changeable sockets was one of the cards on the table but was difficult as it did take up real estate inside the case and could cramp the CPU fan. Majority of people will use 1 - 2 monitors and based on that some sacrifices where made. But USB-C is one to consider thanks mate

Well, then your case is not for power users with expandability in mind. One 4-5k monitor takes 2 ports, so you can't connect second screen or client monitor or video projector or television or...

 

[576316]

Firstly the Dune Case is a PC case not a desktop computer.

I swear if you say this once more...we're not morons. Patents don't stop at 'hurr durr is it an exact replica of an existing product?' Just because you haven't literally built a Mac Pro doesn't mean you haven't copied the Mac Pro. I think we'd all have a lot more respect for you if you just admitted that you've created an imitation Mac Pro computer case for the PC market - but then, you know how dangerous that would be. You can't seem to answer simple questions, you keep repeating the same crap that I think you genuinely believe to be true and in some cases copying words and linguistics from people you're replying to and using them repeatedly, which is a bit jarring.

As others have said, you show great potential but you're running yourself into the ground if your first product is a clear imitation of something already on the market. WHICH IT IS. Regardless of whether this is a case and the Mac Pro is a computer, you've created an imitation case. It's ironic seeing as you talk about revolutionising the PC case market yet you've not created anything new and, no, just because you've had to do a bodge job to fit standard internals into this case, you haven't created anything new. Your customer base are people who can't afford Mac Pros and you know it.

 

[alexandercgomez]

I swear if you say this once more...we're not morons. Parents don't stop at 'hurr durr is it an exact replica of an existing product?' Just because you haven't literally built a Mac Pro doesn't mean you haven't copied the Mac Pro. I think we'd all have a lot more respect for you if you just admitted that you've created an imitation Mac Pro computer case for the PC market - but then, you know how dangerous that would be. You can't seem to answer simple questions, you keep repeating the same crap that I think you genuinely believe to be true and in some cases copying words and linguistics from people you're replying to and using them repeatedly, which is a bit jarring.

As others have said, you show great potential but you're running yourself into the ground if your first product is a clear imitation of something already on the market. WHICH IT IS. Regardless of whether this is a case and the Mac Pro is a computer, you've created an imitation case. It's ironic seeing as you talk about revolutionising the PC case market yet you've not created anything new and, no, just because you've had to do a bodge job to fit standard internals into this case, you haven't created anything new. Your customer base are people who can't afford Mac Pros and you know it.

Thanks for the reply JarScott .. I admire your energy and passion and I aspire to have that everyday... I appreciate your comments and value everyone comments to date as well. When doing this we did take this on seriously before starting. It would be foolish of us not to do our due diligence and spend one year on this project. Many people have looked at this at a glance, but has not spent time on research and money on due diligence. We have and take this seriously. If you have concerns about this and I feel you have deepest concerns please email us at info@dunecase.com. I respect your views but my purpose here is to educate what Dune Case is and to share to the community my efforts to anyone who is looking for something similar. Some like it and some don't. I get it. And thanks for you comments and appreciation in expressing that I "show great potential".. It is really encouraging to here this from you .. Thanks JarScott

 

[MH01]

MH01 thanks for your comments .. I humbly apologise if you felt my comments were offensive to you. But I do feel we have taken a different approach to the PC.

Designing inside of this case was a challenge to use industry standard parts. The parts are not custom built and was intended for the custom builder to give freedom to choose what they feel is best inside the case. The other challenge was thermal dynamics to work with standard case fans. 140mm fans are common these days but we needed to find a way to get the hot air out of the case without load in the fan. The design of the GPU to hide cables and mint HDD has not been seen before and I creatively did that and the way a bracket houses the PSU and splits air flow into two chambers. And this was all tested using solid works to identify heat spots inside the case ... We analysed and made changes to optimize performance. Every part we design has a purpose from air flow, thermal dynamics and temperatures. We used what we had and find the best way to house it in the small form factor.

I don't believe there is an existing case with similar design as in air flow for the PSU bracket, GPU mount for the door, and a compartment when opens access HDD and cables. I do believe I am taking a new approach on the PC as I have not seen a case with the internal designs for standard parts.

In regards to designers playing it safe ... I am referencing to that there are so many good designers out there with really good designs but their ideas and designs get shut down because of the cost to manufacture. I have see so many concept cars on the market when I go to those car shows but I never actually see one come to life. With the dune case we have an experienced CAD engineer, and an experienced manufacture come together and work things out and use cleaver techniques to achieve what we want with the dune case.

Once again I humbly apologise if you were offended by my comments.

Alex, please don't be apologetic, we are having a debate, nothing you said or could say would offend me.

I can see that you view this as a evolution or breakthrough of a PC case, fine.

My view, a Mac is a PC , all PC components inside.

So i don't see a difference between Mac/PC when it comes to cases and what's inside, power PC days are gone, I can build a hackintosh from a PC, anyway....so for me this is just a case.

You say your design is revolutionary etc etc , my point of view is that your design one copies the Mac Pro, and second, the evolution / revoultion is the Mac Pro itself , Apple has shown the industry what is possible if they think outside the box, your case is just moving current components around in a small space, shuttle cases etc have done that for decades.

I'd say apples design is the evolution and breakthrough. Let's see how you case handles intensive gaming, here is apples breakthrough you can game on it and it remains Almost silent , can your case do that ? No, I can tell you right now , cause those fans on the GPU will spin fast! I've built enough cases to knew this cannot match the Mac Pro for heat and sound .

If you want to think about revolutionary designs and something totally fresh , it's looks something like this

Still just moving current PC components around but something new , no copying anyone else's design. I really liked this case cause at the time it matched he Mac pros design while not copying it, and it was great in relation to accessing individual components . For me this was a breakthrough of design, not having an existing model to draw a lot of inspiration from.

And you have done an excellent job , with the internal design and finish . I'm going to wait for some reviews. On another note , I think you could charge more for the case, that last. Pic that I said looks like a Mac Pro, looks much more premium.

I'm also wondering who your target audience is ? Mac fans that build hackintosh machines? I am wondering if non Apple fans would pay tribute to Apple by buying this case.

Let's ignore the design going forward, let the elephant is the room rest.

On a technical side, have you run some benchmarks stressing the components inside ? How hot does the cpu/GPU get? And also how loud is it ?

 

[alexandercgomez]

MH01 thanks for your comments mate ... you know I love technology in general. And I'm not really loyal to any brand, I just appreciate all. Experimenting with other brands expands your knowledge on UI and UX. It has always been a part of my life. My first computer was an IBM XT turbo, Apple IIe, Commodore 64, Amiga , I even had the apple Macintosh with that small screen. Some times I do miss the old os .. back on topic .. hahaha .. In regards to the testing we have done testing. We used an i7 4770 CPU and 970 GTX mini itx for GPU. For the CPU I did a 100% stress test on all cores for 6-12 hours. It was in the summer with 85-90 humidity. The end result was 57-59 degrees Celsius. The GPU we used Furmark to do 100% stress test on the GPU in the same conditions. We achieved 65 degrees Celsius. I haven't done a sound test at 100% but it wasn't too loud and the 140mm fan on top was not a full throttle.We did a number of test to achieve this result as the first few prototypes where not like this. Using CAD and simulations in CAD we were able to identify heat spots in the case and make modifications. 4 prototypes later we have the current result. I hope that helps

 

[toke lahti]

Was that Thermaltake?
Did it ever got to be sold?
If it did, what was the price?

 

[iZac]

Could they just make a transparent glass/polycarb version of the Mac Pro Shell, to replace the aluminium one?

Of course, then I'd need to buy a Mac Pro to go with it, but baby steps.