computer-1, a Mini-ITX chassis

[Valantar]

200$US for mini itx case

You clearly aren't familiar with the premium ITX market. The Winter One is, what, $400?

 

[Ferrum Master]

No, US$200 for a flat packed, self assembly mini-ITX case.

They learn that from IKEA?

 

[Valantar]

They learn that from IKEA?

Given that Ikea is generally quite cheap I would assume not. More likely they learnt it from the boutique itx case market where this (well, not the "bend your own metal tabs" stuff) is quite normal.

 

[Operandi]

This is a pretty well established company - including a relatively large scale collaboration with Ikea. Though possibly most known for their synths. Definitely not a scam.

No, US$200 for a flat packed, self assembly mini-ITX case.

Never heard of the company before just saw this on the Verge and thought it look kinda cool, definitely something different. Saw it came in a flat pack and you had to assemble it yourself so I thought it was going to be pretty cheap.... $200, WTF?, further research needed...

The company might not be a scam, I mean I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume Bon Iver uses their synths for a reason but they definitely seem to cashing in on their high-end boutique design compnay status with this thing. $200 for a low volume ITX case is totally understandable but typically those come assembled for you, have super tight panel gaps, premium materials and you know.... don't require you to be the brake press, $200 for this makes no sense at all.

Then there is the OD-11; a single speaker with a 6.5" paper woofer, some sort of full range paper cone "tweeter", and a 100 watt class D amp for $1,000????. But hey at least its made out of MDF and plastic and has its own puter (aka active crossover), lol. Supposedly its a remake of a "classic" 70's Swedish design of the same name but I've never heard of it or the designer and looks like its based on some pretty questionable acoustic concepts if you ask me.

 

[SN2716057]

Something different for sure. Reminds me a bit of mecano kits except the bending tabs bit.

lol.

200$US for mini itx case

My CaseLabs Mercury S3 was around that price too. ($231.95 USD) And I still use it, however I didn't have to tap it myself.

 

[80-watt Hamster]

Every time something like this pops up, I think to myself, "I should really try to draw up a case design of my own as a CAD exercise." It never happens.

 

[Valantar]

Every time something like this pops up, I think to myself, "I should really try to draw up a case design of my own as a CAD exercise." It never happens.

You should check out the "concepts" subforum over on smallformfactor.net (and try to ignore the large scale, professional projects). Lots and lots of fantastic hobbyist designs and one-off builds there.

 

[AusWolf]

GPU fan blowing downwards, small intake/exhaust fan, tight room for CPU cooler, questionable colour choice, bending metal doesn't seem to be too sturdy... too many issues. The idea is admirable, though.

 

[Mistral]

From the standpoint of this being shippable in a flat package, I think it's admirable. Acoustics and airflow seem pretty bad though, but then again it's not aimed at people who require much in terms of cooling.

 

[bobbyrooney]

too pretentious for me. i dont do cases anymore, and i dont do desks anymore at home. i keep my rig in a 4u rack mount in the basement. well, its sorta just a skeleton chassis without any panels around it for easy cooling. dont care about the noise since its in the basement. i run up 1 hdmi 2.1 cable and 2 usb 3 cables via a pvc conduit. its all i really need to connect to the tv/monitor and two USB hubs. i also use the rack for a data server and a line conditioner

 

[PLAfiller]

Pretty awesome. Always wanted to see the "flat-Ikea packaging" applied to PC cases. They can go simply laser-cut acrylic as far as material choice goes. For this particular model, it's not my cup of tea. I am from the small minority that enjoys mini-ITX cases that are closer to mATX size (NZXT H210). Minimum 3-slots. Handles on the side, why not wheels? May be with age, but I don't want a puzzle box, but something I can work with fast and easy. I am not going to a beauty pageant with my case internals, I need it to work efficiently.

 

[LabRat 891]

I love to see small-businesses 'come up', especially manufacturers. However, $195 is ENTIRELY too much for what is purposefully (and tactfully) a 'cost-optimized' design. If they have any sort of 'rights' to the design, I'd like to see a 'scaled' manufacturer like Cooler Master build these to get the costs down.
Being basically all stamped/lasercut sheetmetal, flatpacked unassembled, this shouldn't be above $100.
It's tough: I adore the design of the case; it's nearly exactly what I've been looking for. Part of that desire however, was the idea such a design would be affordable.

 

[Valantar]

Coming from frequenting the smallformfactor.net forums (and especially the gigantic Taobao thread, though there are also high profile, premium cases like the Formd T1 and Winter One), it's kind of fascinating to see people think flat-pack cases are even a remotely new thing. They're not quite the norm, but there is a massive amount of cases that ship like this. Most of them don't require you to bend the panels though, just screw them together

 

[Operandi]

I love to see small-businesses 'come up', especially manufacturers. However, $195 is ENTIRELY too much for what is purposefully (and tactfully) a 'cost-optimized' design. If they have any sort of 'rights' to the design, I'd like to see a 'scaled' manufacturer like Cooler Master build these to get the costs down.
Being basically all stamped/lasercut sheetmetal, flatpacked unassembled, this shouldn't be above $100.
It's tough: I adore the design of the case; it's nearly exactly what I've been looking for. Part of that desire however, was the idea such a design would be affordable.

This is a fashion design company, not a manufacturing company. The price of this case has nothing to do with its cost or value and is all about perpetuating their brand image or a boutique high-end company. They are catering to the type of consumer that would outright dismiss something like this if it didn't come with the high-end price tag they are accustomed to seeing.