OPEN AIR ITX PC CASE
If you got a Smart Doll and like PC gaming then you may like this ;-)
I have always wanted to make some sort of vehicle for our Smart Dolls, but ideas never formulated into reality - until now. Introducing the Quantum Fusion Bike PC case for ITX motherboards - designed exclusively for Smart Doll.
After building a rig for PC VR gaming, (specifically for Half-Life: Alyx) my desk started to look cluttered. I wanted a more cohesive way to display my Smart Doll together with the PC - so I combined our Smart Doll business with what has now become a new pillar for us - PC cases that take on the shape of a vehicle for a Smart Doll.
Our first design is the Quantum Fusion Bike PC Case. I chose to design exclusively for an ITX motherboard because of the compact design and because it's all that I personally need for AAA titles like Half-Life Alyx. Our VR-ready configuration is as follows, but you can configure your rig as you please.
- Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard
- AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
- Crucial P5 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
- Corsair SF600 -PLATINUM- 600W
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition
The Quantum Fusion Bike (ITX PC Case) is the first of a series of PC cases that will become a new pillar for our Smart Doll business. After the pandemic, we plan to attend and display our cases and Smart Dolls at shows such as CES and E3 in Los Angeles, PAX in Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, and San Antonio, and Gamescom in Cologne. Other planned PC case designs include a Mecha Suit, Submarine, Stealth Fighter Drone and Kaiju.
We created two nose designs for the bike - the short nose will fit graphics cards like the MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Super pictured in the photos, while the long nose bike attachment will fit high-end cards like the NVIDIA RTX 3080. We were thinking of a sidecar attachment for water cooling but decided against it.
The current prototype is made from laser cut matte acrylic. Our heat testing so far has shown no signs of warping on the case due to the open-air design. We are also looking into aluminum but I'm not keen on tripling the weight of the bike which is already 8KG when all the PC parts are attached.
Even though the case is designed for a compact ITX motherboard, the bike's length is roughly 80cm (31 inches) by 20cm (8 inches) wide which does take up a lot of space. We are looking into option parts that will turn the case into a hoverbike removing the need for wheels.
I used to build PCs 20 years ago and when I came back to the scene I thought to myself - "what's with all the lighting effects with blinking keyboards and mice?!" Then I started to appreciate the aesthetic which is why our build has a few lights built-in. Do note that you need to procure your own lighting effects if you want to light up the PC case.
The case will be shipped as a flat pack for you to build yourself. Screws and ignition power cable are included as well as screws (and spares), but you will have to supply your own PC parts ;-) The wheels smell a lot of rubber out of the box so maybe leave them outside your house for a few days.
There is a number plate attachment which I forgot when taking these photos ;-(
This is the short nose version that accommodates smaller graphic cards. The bike can stand on its own on a flat surface which is supported by the wide flat tires.
If you are interested in the bike but not the PC aspect, you may be able to figure out how to modify it to house a motor because the wheels do turn and the front wheel does tilt ;-)
Reasons why you would want to avoid this PC case includes...
- You don't like the idea of dust accumulating on the components. Because the Smart Doll production spaces have to be regularly cleaned of dust, this is not an issue for us but maybe an issue for you.
- You are looking for a cheap PC case. We use the Cost To Design method for all our product designs. This means that we spend whatever it takes to build a quality product. However, this usually means that the retail price point exceeds what a consumer expects to pay.
- You find the ITX option limiting. Because we are designing vehicles for Smart Doll - the ATX board would be too big for our needs.
- You don't have space on your desk for such a huge case.
I'm going to leave you with a wall of photos as I dash off to work on the next ITX PC case - the Solar Marine Retro Grade Mecha Suit.
