We are very excited that EK Waterblocks sent us one of their very limited edition “Vulture” ITX cases.  This is a prototype model only and so we are very happy to be the first to bring you photos of this sexy beast. Here are some pictures of this never before seen case:

The case supports mini ITX boards such as the Maximus VII Impact or EVGA Z97 Stinger. It also supports a 360 radiator (thick radiators in push and pull supported) which can be mounted on the front panel alongside power/reset buttons and audio/usb:

There is also support for some slot loaded slim optical devices:

The case is built out of some thick aluminum which seems to measure in at 1/8″ (3mm) which is nice and extremely unusual for a case this size. This will raise the price but it will however make the case extremely tough and rugged, perhaps overkill given what it can fit.

Perhaps the most unusual and unique feature though is the curved window which we’ve never seen before:

This of course gives up the possibility of airflow or radiators in the top, but does give a great view of the GPU which is missing in most modern cases:

Speaking of the GPU – the case supports a 12″ long dual slot GPU though the exact length may be determined by the radiator and fan setup you choose:

This means dual core GPUs like the 7990, TitanZ etc should fit, however the clearance for deep cards like the matrix/classified series when watercooled is not yet known. The PSU on the other hand is at the other end of the case from the GPU:

It’s nice to see that the PSU supported is a full size type and that there is clearance for something hugely long and overkill for an ITX rig as well as a built in support for the weight:

The space between the motherboard and the PSU is used for a dual 3.5″ HDD rack:

This is not quick release but does come with a cover to hide the ugly HDDs from the window. The case came with no feet so it could be placed horizontally if desired, however there are some countersunk screws that distract from an ultra clean look on the side:

The motherboard tray is not removable but does have cable routing cutouts:

We also suspect there is clearance for a 2.5 slot GPU, though of course you *should* be watercooling in which case any 2.5 slotter would be a 2 slotter. Some of the wires are red – we would prefer this to be changed to black:

There are also 2×2.5″ SSD mounts to easily enable them to displayed in the window which is really nice because this has been a fashionable mod recently. The slim optical drive mount is also displayed in the main chamber where unlike the SSDs it would have been better to have been stealthed underneath the main motherboard tray.

Overall the Vulture case is a very good and unique first cut at a case from EK. We are very excited to see them branding out and trying new things. There are still some tweaks that need to be made, but that’s ok because let’s remember that this is a prototype.

Dimensions: 17.25″x7.75″x18.5″ (LxWxH)
Price and availability unknown, currently EK has stated that this protype is for design purposes only.

5 COMMENTS

  1. I’d love to start a project with that case, however I would change all the wires to black and hide the optical drive bay from the inside and also make it selectable that one could use also “traditional” ODD’s if they don’t fancy a slot-in drive but still have the possibility for a stealth look.
    Other than that, I’m really looking into seeing what EK will come up with regarding other products than waterblocks etc. A beast for a base for a project!

  2. I like this case very much and would feel that it could pass off as an mATX.

    If I were to go with more ITX spec, there’s a few things I’d *probably* go with.

    For the PSU, I’d drop it down to an SFX PSU to shorten the heigh. right in front of the PSU bay, where the third 120mm is, I’d use that space for the drive cage. It’ll hold two 2.5″ and one 3.5″. Dropping it down to a 240mm rad would still be fine. There are several ITX cases that utilize just 240mm radiators and still get away with full loops with respectable temperature figures. The area between the top of the case and the second PCI-E slot should be shortened as well to get the card as close to the acrylic window as possible. Having that additional space would possibly distort the view of the GPU block. There would also be a midplate for the PSU area so users can mount pumps and reservoirs on it. It’d be a perfect time to show the EK pump/res mounting combo as a feature. Similar to what I had to do in one of my builds: http://imgur.com/a/YGrub

    Going with these changes, it would shorten the height by a considerable amount giving it that familiar ITX feeling. However, these are just my personal opinions on going about designing the *near* perfect ITX Water Cooling case. This case already has some of the best elements including build quality, visibility/aesthetics, cable management (huge for me) and functionality. But like I said, if you told me this was an mATX case, I would leave everything else as is and just add 2 additional PCI slots.

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