MJOLNIR: The minimalistic – but not boring – 9.7L Case

Associate
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25 Feb 2018
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Hey guys!

* Note: my previous post was unfortunately deleted after 1 year of developing the case together with people of Overclockers UK. I think this is because I posted the Kickstarter link once the campaign had launched.

Happy to present our first SFF project: MJOLNIR 9.7L Unibody mini-ITX Case. My name is Alex and I'm the founder of THOR ZONE, if you have any questions / ideas / feedback just let me know and I'm sure we'll come up with something amazing together :D

Official Website

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MJOLNIR is manufactured using high-precision casting, a rather complicated process that allows us to make something truly unique and solid. You will have the option to choose between 2 different finishes, aluminium or tempered glass side panels as well as programmable RGB lighting. All editions will have fully detachable internal frames, reversible layout, custom dust filters and support for both air coolers and 120 mm AIOs.

Size and Finishes
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MJOLNIR comes in 2 premium finishes: DARK and STEEL. These are achieved by first blasting the cases with tiny glass particles, creating a sparkly matt finish, and later on anodized them to their appropriate color. Apples' space gray is a pretty good approximation of what you'll get with DARK. I hope the 50cl / 33cl cans help you get a good grasp of its tiny size ;)

Lighting
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MJOLNIR RGB Edition comes equipped with a bluetooth controlled, programmable lighting setup capable of 16 million colors. In some cases you may be able to hook up the LED strips directly to your motherboard, given that it has at least one 5V RGB header capable of controlling multiple LEDs.

Side Panels
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For top / side panels you can choose to go with either aluminium or tempered glass. If you want good airflow we suggest choosing the aluminium ones, seeing as they are ventilated. However, if you want to show off your epic hardware, tempered glass is a great choice for you. As seen in above pics, air can pass through the 5 mm opening around each glass panel; however, airflow can be further improved by using the included 5 mm standoffs and mounting the glass panels on the outside (adding additional 10 mm between them and the CPU / GPU fans).

Internal Frame
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MJOLNIR features a completely removable internal frame for easy hardware installation, cable routing, cleaning and testing. When you're done, simply insert it back into the unibody enclosure and turn the lock nut (located on the back) 90° counter-clockwise.

Flip Orientation
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You can reverse layout by simply flipping the internal frame 180° and inserting it back into the unibody enclosure. This may also increase AIO efficiency since the reservoir will be located above the pump instead of underneath it. To ensure the best cooling performance with the flipped layout we recommend that you mount the bottom dust filter on top instead.

Air Cooling
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MJOLNIR is compatible with 2 x 120 mm fans, one under the PSU and one under the Motherboard. We recommend configuring these fans for intake; effectively cooling off the PSU and VRMs by driving airflow from the bottom of the case out through the top.

Water Cooling
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MJOLNIR is compatible with 1 x 120 mm AIO, we strongly recommend using one if you decide to go with high-TDP CPUs from Intel or AMD. Additionally, you can also use 1 x 120 mm low-profile fan under the Motherboard to cool off the VRMs. It is also possible to set up a custom loop using a pump / block combo.

Hardware Compatibility

Graphics Card (GPU)
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Note: Standard PCIe power connectors with cables add about 22 mm (0.86") of height to your GPU, a solution might be to use GPUs with recessed power connectors or buy low-profile PCIe power connectors from electronics vendors.

AIO
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Note: Only compatible with SFX PSUs

CPU Cooler
Max height: 53mm (2.1")

Case Fans
2 x 120 mm fans
Max height – Under the PSU: 55mm (2.2")
Max height – Under MOBO: 15mm (0.6")
Note: Case fans over 25mm (1.0") in height are only compatible with SFX PSUs

Motherboard (MOBO)
mini-ITX

RAM
Max height: 57mm (2.3")

Power Supply (PSU)
SFX or SFX-L

Storage Drives
2.5" Standard
Max height: 7mm (0.28") or 15mm (0.6")
Max number: 2 x 7mm (0.28") or 1 x 15mm (0.6")

MJOLNIR Dimensions, Volume and Weight

Dimensions
354mm (13.9") x 209mm (8.2") x 131mm (5.1")

Volume
9.7 liters

Weight – With Aluminium Panels
3.9 kg

Weight – With Glass Panels
3.0 kg


THOR ZONE

We're a Swedish tech startup with an ambition to push the limits of tech design and quality. Initial product lineup:
  • MJOLNIR - 9.7L Unibody mini-ITX Case
  • THOR I - Water Cooled eGPU (If you are interested in THOR I, subscribe to our release list.)
The Team
  • Emil Blomkvist - KTH Royal Institute of Technology - PHD
  • Adam Brinkman - Chalmers University of Technology - Master's degree
  • Johan Larsson Hörkén - Chalmers University of Technology - Master's degree
  • Oscar Öhlin - LTU Luleå University of Technology - Master's degree
  • Måns Lögdlund - LiU Linköpings Universitet - Master's degree
  • Denize Forsman - GU School of Business, Economics and Law - Master's degree
  • Alexander Baranov - GU School of Business, Economics and Law - Master's degree *I'm far more a tech guy than an economist*

This project is the result of many minds working together across multiple platforms such as the SFF-forum, Reddit, Sweclockers, Overclockers UK, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. We're truly grateful for all your support!

Cheers,
Alex
 
Associate
OP
Joined
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Posts
57
Hey guys!

We've now arrived at 2 final panel designs; INDUSTRIAL and ORGANIC. You cast your vote in a poll further down :) This poll will decide the outcome and finalize the aluminium panel design.

VOTE HERE

INDUSTRIAL [Formerly known as V2.3]
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ORGANIC
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VOTE HERE

Best,
Alex
 
Soldato
Joined
26 Sep 2010
Posts
7,157
Location
Stoke-on-Trent
besides the lighting, am i missing something or does the industrial and organic look the same :confused:

They're completely different panels. The industrial panels use smaller slots at the end of each row to ensure that the full array maintains a square, boxed and balanced appearance. The organic panels do not have these smaller cuts and therefore have a more zig-zagged, natural flow to their arrangement, i.e. more organic.
 
Soldato
Joined
4 Dec 2015
Posts
3,221
Location
London
They're completely different panels. The industrial panels use smaller slots at the end of each row to ensure that the full array maintains a square, boxed and balanced appearance. The organic panels do not have these smaller cuts and therefore have a more zig-zagged, natural flow to their arrangement, i.e. more organic.

^^ As you see by the poll though I would suggest offering both options as its personal preference... I like organic.
 
Associate
OP
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25 Feb 2018
Posts
57
Hey guys, MJOLNIR update!

PANELS V2
Organic design won in our recent poll, big thanks to everybody who voted!  Still, my gut feeling tells me that we should go for the Industrial design, mainly because it's more in line with the rest of MJOLNIR and offers better intake area directly over the CPU / GPU fans.

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GLASS V2
While the previous design was doable and held upp well in non-dramatic environments, it didn't have the structural integrity we originally envisioned for MJOLNIR. Therefore we made a couple of changes:

  • Removed the top glass panel - A see-through top wasn't as pretty as we originally thought and heavily restricted airflow. We swapped it out for a well-ventilated aluminum panel.
  • Ultra solid structure - Each tempered glass panel is now attached to a precision-milled aluminum frame, this ensures structural integrity in line with the rest of MJOLNIR.

Note: we strongly suggest using the glass panels with an AIO / blower-style GPU.
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Prototypes
3 prototypes are currently in production and are expected to be complete by the end of this month. Keep on the lookout for reviews around April. The word on the street is that we may be thinking of selling 2 prototypes to the public, the rumors might be correct.

Best,
Alex
 
Man of Honour
Joined
26 May 2012
Posts
16,460
They're completely different panels. The industrial panels use smaller slots at the end of each row to ensure that the full array maintains a square, boxed and balanced appearance. The organic panels do not have these smaller cuts and therefore have a more zig-zagged, natural flow to their arrangement, i.e. more organic.
ah! lol. just spotted it! :D


which aio is compatible?
those tubing bends look pretty unnatural to me.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
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Posts
57
Heey guys, a wild update suddenly appears!

Here is 60% of the internal frame and a tempered glass panel:
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Just for reference, it's supposed to look like this by the end. Note that pic below is slightly outdated in that the MOBO cutout is smaller, we have made it larger to improve back-mounted M.2 thermals.

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FEDEX notified me yesterday that the RGB setups / Enclosures have arrived in Gothenburg, I'll go back there on Monday and snap pics for you till Tuesday. The back panel is also expected by Monday. All remaining parts will be here in the next 2 weeks (there was a slight problem where one of the parts got anodized in the wrong color and the manufacturer had to remake it).

See you guys on Tuesday :)

Best,
Alex
 
Associate
OP
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Posts
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Heey guys, major prototype update! :D

Picked up quite a few parts yesterday, very happy with how they turned out! I'll meet up with local manufacturers next week and anodize 2 of the 3 prototypes in DARK color (a.k.a space gray, a.k.a dark gray). The remaining parts are on their way now and should be here some time next week, then it's assembly time baby :cool: Also, I'll make sure to film the new RGB setup in action before Saturday. But for now, grab some popcorn and marvel at what you & us have developed together:

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Bana-for-scale, but not-for-sale (I know my jokes are lame).

Just for reference, the split-up prototype enclosure will be snapped together with dowels (below pic). The production model will of course still be precision cast unibody, but casting 3 prototypes is waaay to expensive.

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Let me know what you think guys :)

Best,
Alex
 
Associate
OP
Joined
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Posts
57
Don't do funding kick starters,however when you've got a fully casted model on sale, there's a day one purchase here for the tempered glass variant. impressed so far. Subbed
I think we need to do Kickstarter in the beginning, it's a good way to get exposure on top of people already subbed to our email list :) Really appreciate it, you will not be disappointed!
 
Associate
OP
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Posts
57
Heey guys, update!

The prototypes are more or less complete, just need to send them off to our local anodizer for some final touch-ups. This is also the reason I don't want to show you the prototypes in broad daylight yet, you deserve to see perfection...nothing less ;) Buut I can show you some RGB action:

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The lighting setup uses 5V and is controlled over bluetooth. The LED strips have a density of 144 LEDs/meter and are mounted with 3M tape. You can also choose between 200 lightning-effects in addition to solid colors. I'm very happy with the results as you never directly observe the LED strips, only your epic hardware basking in their light ;)

On a whole other matter, I've had some problems squeezing in the Kraken M22 & 25mm fan (NF-A12x25 PWM from Noctua), which I think can be contributed to:
  • Kraken M22s large-diameter tubes are hard to bend.
  • Kraken M22 seems to be 154mm long as opposed to the 152mm stated on their website. Can anyone please measure their and report back to me?
  • I'm terrible at cable management.
I did manage to comfortably install the Kraken M22 & 15mm fan (NF-A12x15 from Noctua) though. The Corsair H60 & 25mm fan should be much easier to work with, will order one next week.

Best,
Alex
 
Associate
OP
Joined
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Posts
57
In the spirit of Odin, UPDATE!

We have been narrowing down our search for the perfect anodizing shop, I'll do my best to send them the prototypes in the upcoming week. Once that's done there is nothing standing in between MJOLNIR and some long-awaited YouTube reviews :cool: For now, here are some more pics of the assembled enclosure (not yet anodized), metal and glass panels as well as the dust filter. I think the manufacturers have done a terrific job!

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Featuring our awesome goat-mascot...Ralph! I'm almost sure nobody will see this text lol.
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What do you guys think?

Btw please spread the word about MJOLNIR if you can, however you can. The relaunch is mainly dependent of how many we have in our email list :thumb: I'm quite sure we'll reach the appropriate level in 3-4 months, but it never hurts to accelerate the process a bit more. Dream scenario: enough people have subscribed after the first couple of Youtube reviews and we can launch straight away :)

Best,
Alex
 
Associate
OP
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Hey guys, I think you'll like this one! :cool:

After a whole month of testing, we’re finally ready to present MJOLNIR thermal results – CHECK THEM OUT HERE.

It’s good to point out that we have tried all possible fan configs (push vs pull), in some cases improving thermals by up to 9°C. Head over to page 14 (in the link above) to check out some recommendations – we tried it all so you don’t have to. I'll post a brief summary of the results below.

Hardware
CPU: INTEL CORE i7 8700
GPU: ASUS RTX2070 TURBO
PSU: CORSAIR SF600
37 mm COOLER: NOCTUA NH-L9i
48 mm COOLER: NOCTUA NH-L9i & NF-A9 PWM
120 mm AIO: CORSAIR H55 & NOCTUA NF-A12x25 PWM
FRONT FAN: NOCTUA NF-A12x25 PWM
BACK FAN: NOCTUA NF-A12x15 PWM

CPU Testing Methods
All tests reached equilibrium long before 30 minutes, but we kept them running for the sake of consistency. First, we test CPU thermals in the standard orientation, for both metal- and glass panels. Next, we check if something improves in the reversed orientation. Last, we test how thermals are affected by swapping around the top panel and dust filter.

CPU Thermals - Standard Orientation
It’s pretty evident from the results below that the 120mm AIO is vastly superior to any of the air-cooling options we tested. The difference really can’t be overstated. Setting the radiator fan to pull instead of push performed between 3°C to 9°C better. Using a 120mm fan below the motherboard (back fan) improved VRM thermals by 22°C. If you plan to go for a high-TDP CPU like the 8:th / 9:th gen Core i7 or Ryzen equivalent – definitely go for the water-cooling option.

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CPU Thermals - Reversed Orientation
Reversing the orientation yields an additional improvement of between 1°C to 6°C. Keep in mind that when using the 48mm cooler, the case fan should be configured in PULL for the metal panels and PUSH for the glass panels. Next, we check if thermals are improved further by swapping around the top panel and dust filter.

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CPU Thermals - Reversed Orientation & Dust filter top
Having the dust filter on top of the case, in reversed orientation, improves thermals further by about 1°C to 3°C, not much but still significant for those looking to overclock their high-TDP CPUs. If you’re the type of person that likes to push their system to the limit, definitely check out our setup recommendations on page 14 (in the link above).

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GPU Testing Methods
All tests reached equilibrium long before 30 minutes, but we kept them running for the sake of consistency. Keep in mind that we’re using a blower-style GPU, a cooling solution optimized for thigh spaces. Thermals for open-air GPUs may vary, something to keep in mind.

GPU Thermals

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Cable Management

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As you can see it gets pretty crammed in there, especially when maxing out (i.e AIO + 25mm thick fan + 120 mm fan below the motherboard + full-lenght GPU). I think it may be well worth the effort to create custom cables.

Really hyped to hear what you guys think!!

Best,
Alex
 
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