CeBIT: Corsair raids the chassis market: competitors beware?

[SirKronan]

To be honest, I thought having a hot-swap hard drive bay kind of eliminated the need for eSATA. It's far more convenient, since you don't have to run a separate power cable.

It was my decision, so those of you guys who hate it - feel free to send me nasty PMs or shake your fist angrily at Redbeard.

I underestimated the number of people who like eSATA, since I don't know anybody personally that uses it.

Yeah, because it's a piece of cake to take apart that portable, well-sealed Seagate FreeAgent hard drive, rip the drive out, and put it in one of those hot swap bays, then put it all back together again when you're done ...

Any way you cut the cake, it's a "con" to not include the eSATA in any modern case, especially an "enthusiast" one. Many won't care and you're probably going to sell lots anyways based on other important features. eSATA was not the deal-breaker for me - taking too long to release your case (a.k.a. lack of patience on my part) was the deal breaker. Although I can say that eSATA is nice to have on my ATCS 840!

[Redbeard]

Yeah, because it's a piece of cake to take apart that portable, well-sealed Seagate FreeAgent hard drive, rip the drive out, and put it in one of those hot swap bays, then put it all back together again when you're done ...

Any way you cut the cake, it's a "con" to not include the eSATA in any modern case, especially an "enthusiast" one.

Yeah, it was a mistake on my part. I really did underestimate the popularity. And I figured that most of the motherboards that people would install in the case would have eSATA on the rear I/O panel and they'd leave a cable running to the front of the case. Again, my mistake.

So yeah - next time I won't make the mistake. If I had another 6 months to work on the case all these little things would be added - but at some point we have to ship the thing.

[Biker]

THe question is more like "why do manufacturers insist on putting all sorts of useless junk on their front panels???". I have a motherboard. It provides me with what I need. If it doesn't I'll buy one that does.

No Esata on the DFI X58 boards.... and I wanted a DFI

To be honest, I thought having a hot-swap hard drive bay kind of eliminated the need for eSATA. It's far more convenient, since you don't have to run a separate power cable.

It was my decision, so those of you guys who hate it - feel free to send me nasty PMs or shake your fist angrily at Redbeard.

I underestimated the number of people who like eSATA, since I don't know anybody personally that uses it.

Shame.

Yeah, because it's a piece of cake to take apart that portable, well-sealed Seagate FreeAgent hard drive, rip the drive out, and put it in one of those hot swap bays, then put it all back together again when you're done ...

Exactly.

I would love a more modular front panel standard so case manufacturers could give you a blank spot to put in modular ports of whatever you want.

Great Idea!

At least then I could route an onboard SATA to an Esata socket.

With the thumb drive market now taking advantage of eSATA, it would be a good idea to include at least one port

Exactly (again).

Yeah, it was a mistake on my part. I really did underestimate the popularity. And I figured that most of the motherboards that people would install in the case would have eSATA on the rear I/O panel and they'd leave a cable running to the front of the case. Again, my mistake.

So yeah - next time I won't make the mistake. If I had another 6 months to work on the case all these little things would be added - but at some point we have to ship the thing.

I can wait

[Brandito]

i don't think near as many people will use a front located esata as claim to.

for backup drives you'll generally keep them attached the majority of the time, and for portables you're more likely to use the more convenient usb method (albeit slower) because it's more all in one, no external power sources.

while i wouldn't be mad if there was a front esata, i really don't see a big demand for it despite what some have stated. it's like the remove-able mobo tray or using aluminum, they're things a lot of people want, but don't really add any substantial usefulness to the case.

now when they can get esata that is powered then i'll be all about having a port located in front.

[3Z3VH]

Powered eSATA devices already exist, it is just a matter of people building and including the ports to plug them into.

[Brandito]

Powered eSATA devices already exist, it is just a matter of people building and including the ports to plug them into.

as i understand it powered esata requires support from the mobo as well as the drives/enclosures themselves. i mean you can't just plug the cable inside the case into a regular sata slot and expect the esata port to be power.

also with new versions of usb and firewire (not that anyone uses firewire) one has to wonder how usefull esata will continue to be. with usb3 the speed won't be an issue at 4.8Gbps. i'm not totally sure on whether a single usb 3.0 plug can power an external drive, but i do know they've upped the amount of power the ports deliver quite a bit so it seems likely.

i'm not saying esata wouldn't be useful, it's quite arguably more useful than firewire (though i'm sure someone could argue that too) but it's definitely a minor thing to complain about in the grand scheme of things.

[GAR]

When is this hitting the US for sale, and who will have it besides newegg?

[Baulten]

The case appears to be available on Amazon, but I think it's just preorder. Note the "Usually ships within 3 to 5 weeks."

Linky: http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CC800D...9503441&sr=8-1

[3Z3VH]

as i understand it powered esata requires support from the mobo as well as the drives/enclosures themselves. i mean you can't just plug the cable inside the case into a regular sata slot and expect the esata port to be power.

also with new versions of usb and firewire (not that anyone uses firewire) one has to wonder how usefull esata will continue to be. with usb3 the speed won't be an issue at 4.8Gbps. i'm not totally sure on whether a single usb 3.0 plug can power an external drive, but i do know they've upped the amount of power the ports deliver quite a bit so it seems likely.

i'm not saying esata wouldn't be useful, it's quite arguably more useful than firewire (though i'm sure someone could argue that too) but it's definitely a minor thing to complain about in the grand scheme of things.

I do agree that having the motherboard supply the power is an option, but by no means a necessity. The power is not transferred through the data portion of the cable, so it would be easy enough for a case manufacturer to make a "power injector" that takes power from a 4-pin molex and inserts it into the Power Over eSATA port in the case.

Also, I would, personally, rather use eSATA than USB3.0 or Firewire, because it goes directly to the north/southbridge rather than having to be converted from SATA in the external enclosure, to USB, then brought into the southbridge. Less conversions equal more speed, lower latency, and no additional processing necessary.

[DragoonXX]

I personally use eSATA, but in my case, it's not something that I'm always plugging in and unplugging all the time, so rear I/O is fine by me
I use front panel audio for my headset (prelude doesn't like to re-sense jacks) and i use front panel USB for quick work with flash drives...its really just a matter of how each individual person works with their setups. I know one guy with an antec 1200 who when he got it was like- hey thats a great idea...and yet...he doesn't even have ANY external hard drives, and he keeps his tower on the floor, whereas my cases are on the desk right beside me

[Brandito]

not to sound like a fanboy (though i clearly qualify for this case ) but i think they got the front I/O pretty much right, those ports are for stuff you use sparingly, plug in and unplug often, esata just doesn't fit into the equation as well

[LinkinParkBoy]

I have already ordered from the suppliers two pallets. They will arrive here to Portugal, in 1x (if i can say) of August. I cant wait to get one to my home, it will cost 250 euros.


Redbeard, about the video that you talked about, nothing yet?


Regards

[Bodkin]

My delivery date has been put back 3 weeks! Come on give me some final product photos/ vidios! I need my fix!

[LinkinParkBoy]

My delivery date has been put back 3 weeks! Come on give me some final product photos/ vidios! I need my fix!

Eheheh, I bet they will arrive in the same day as mine I'm anxious to see them

[Mr_Armageddon]

Yeah, it was a mistake on my part. I really did underestimate the popularity. And I figured that most of the motherboards that people would install in the case would have eSATA on the rear I/O panel and they'd leave a cable running to the front of the case. Again, my mistake.

So yeah - next time I won't make the mistake. If I had another 6 months to work on the case all these little things would be added - but at some point we have to ship the thing.

Although I would love to have an eSATA in the front I/O panel that comes stock with the case, it is not a deal breaker for me either.

For future case designs, you may want to consider making the area for the I/O panel modular and a standard 3.5" size. That way if someone wants something different, its an easy fix to swap it out with a card reader for example that also includes USB and eSATA. You could also make the entire 5.25" bay modular to give an abundant amount of freedom to the user.


I plan on modding the panel to accommodate me better. It may not be easy, but I am pretty handy with a Dremel Tool.

I am going to completely remove the top bay and replace it with this Brushed Aluminum 5.25in cover. The cover is black and will also house a 3.5in card reader.
Lian Li 5.25in Cover

The card reader also has USB and eSATA, so perfect for what I want on the front of the case.
Nippon 3.5in Card Reader

Will then add some Power and Reset switches to finish the custom bay. I plan on using this one for the Power Switch. The LED ring will obviously be wired to the Power LED header on the Motherboard.
22mm Switch


And this one for the reset switch. The ring on this switch will be wired to the HDD indicator on the Motherboard. The switch is smaller than the power one as to not cause confusion.
16mm Switch


The end result will look something like this:



Its going to take some work (probably cutting and removing of a few rivets), but it will look great and give me the added functionality I need. Really looking forward to getting this awesome case.... then modding it

[zalbard]

It's made this way intentionally, to be able to hide those extra ports and buttons.
Or are you saying that you cannot remove it for sure?

[Mr_Armageddon]

It's made this way intentionally, to be able to hide those extra ports and buttons.
Or are you saying that you cannot remove it for sure?

RedBeard said that it was not removable, so it looks like I am going to have to mod it to make it work for me.

I am also thinking about making a Stealth Black Brushed Aluminum flip down cover to go over it as to keep the look the same as the original. Still trying to figure out exactly how I want to run with that idea. I was planning on making Stealth Bay Covers for my Optical Drives, so might as well carry over that idea to the top 5.25in bay as well.

[LinkinParkBoy]

Video? :P

[Redbeard]

Video? :P

Filmed it already - we're just editing now.

[LinkinParkBoy]

Filmed it already - we're just editing now.

You're God

[Baulten]

Filmed it already - we're just editing now.

Such a tease! In all seriousness, cannot wait!

[LinkinParkBoy]

Are you going to release the video during the weekend or rather wait for the case release date?

Sorry to bother, getting a little bit too anxious here

[Redbeard]

Are you going to release the video during the weekend or rather wait for the case release date?

Sorry to bother, getting a little bit too anxious here

Didn't finish the editing yesterday, so we'll finish it early next week. It should be posted in the first few days - nothing dramatic, just an unboxing video.

Tough to get this stuff done in the middle of all our other work, though! Heh.

[Baulten]

I'm looking forward to the video!

I'm sorry if this has been asked, but is the rear fan a 120mm or 140mm? And how are the airflow of the stock fans? I couldn't seem to find the answers to these anywhere.

[Redbeard]

I'm looking forward to the video!

I'm sorry if this has been asked, but is the rear fan a 120mm or 140mm? And how are the airflow of the stock fans? I couldn't seem to find the answers to these anywhere.

Rear fan included is 140mm with mounting holes for either 120mm or 140mm in that location. Airflow of stock fans is fairly low as we were aiming for silence.

It's a very quiet case.