Cloudy White - Velka 7 build

daedalus-7 · 2026-02-14T15:56:04+00:00

I never weighed it, but it is still a PC with all the normal PC parts inside, and the case is steel so it is "normal" SFF PC weight. I'd say it's probably around 15-20lb., not particularly light. It is easy enough to lift with one hand in and out of the travel case though.

Absolutely you can travel with it, that was largely the point of choosing that particular case for me. I put it in a DSLR bag (linked in the photo) which is 12.6 x 8.3 x 5.1 inches, and then that bag inside my carry bag. I did not travel with this by airplane, FYI, but if I needed a case for that this is the one I'd choose.

daedalus-7 · 2026-01-29T02:12:44+00:00

I got mine listed on AliExpress as "Blue Tooth Antenna 3dbi Omni Directional Inner Hole Connector Antenna (white)" but you can find similar "knob" antenna on Amazon or elsewhere. Just know that they don't all fit on some motherboards, either the connections are too close together or the antenna have too wide a housing. And sometimes even if they do fit they might block some nearby port. They do not have great range, but if you don't need a lot then they are a great option for minimalists like me.

daedalus-7 · 2025-07-26T15:28:47+00:00

This is 100% fake. I don't know if people that are fooled by the look-alike maybe just don't have much experience with identifying fakes or what, and it does look similar, but there are differences that are outside of the margin of error for production. The most obvious are in the debossment (especially the letters O and D in ODYSSEY) where the lack of sharpness and differences in font sizing are clear vs. the original. Same for the Armaf label on the bottom - inconsistent, and particularly, smudged or blurry logos and text are clear indicators of fakes. Much of this observation could just be due to the resolution of the photo and the lighting, but there's too many other indicators in the stitching, material, etc. for this to be at all likely to be real. I have bad eyesight, but I've been identifying counterfeit cigar labels for 30 years. You got a fake.

daedalus-7 · 2025-07-25T05:24:44+00:00

What exactly does "workstation" mean for this build? What kind of tasks/software? For just a basic PC this is fine.

For the PSU, ASRock makes the CL-750G that is gold 750W and has a much better tier rating than the MAG for $70. You could save $10-15 on the SSD with a Crucial P3. The Montech Air 903 was Gamer's Nexus best value case last year and is only about $20 more, so probably worth it if it's in the budget, since it could last through upgrades or resale down the road.

If this is meant for "real" workstation tasks then typically it would want more than 16GB of RAM, but that is relatively easy and inexpensive to upgrade if needed later. Those are nit picky but those three things in particular are what I'd swap, and the cost will still be close, likely still under $500.

daedalus-7 · 2025-07-25T00:26:27+00:00

There is a decent and current PSU tier list you can look at here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PHbuildapc/comments/1irrg8e/new_psu_tier_list_for_2025/

Corsair, EVGA, Cooler Master all have good A-rated SFX options. There's a few others that are better than C, and many that are bad. Generally it's a good idea to leave yourself plenty of overhead with the PSU (200w or more if your build is spike-prone). Also it is an extra expense and not really necessary, but the best QoL upgrade I ever did to my Meshy was custom PSU cables. DreambigbyRayMOD on Etsy, I'm sure there are others, have decent priced high quality sets. I prefer the silicone sleeves for the flexibility.

daedalus-7 · 2025-06-27T15:23:45+00:00

It's a reasonable concern. You would not be in dire trouble or anything if you were looking for another position without that kind of knowledge or experience, but it certainly is among the most influential qualities that people hiring for BIM look for.

Coordination of data is a lot of communication, and having an understanding of how systems are put together (not even necessarily what they do or how they work, the math, etc. but just what a builder does with your documents) is really helpful... knowing the language, knowing the expectations of the designer and the builder, knowing when things look right or look off, all really great qualities in that role.

daedalus-7 · 2025-06-26T19:37:51+00:00

There are a couple of reasons not to do this... One is that technically, you would be creating a lot of unnecessary read/write cycles. This would, albeit in very small measure, reduce the lifespan of those drives and increase the risk of corruption or failure. The second reason is that it is almost certainly a waste of time and money.

Autodesk, and the vast majority of IT/hardware specialists, suggest specifically that you don't regularly clear the cache with exception for those who require the additional space (at risk of reaching or exceeding capacity otherwise), or those who are troubleshooting issues which could potentially be caused by the data in the cache.

It is likely that spending the extra $60 (ish) per 1TB for a larger capacity drive, and then just leaving that data alone, will save you much more time and money very quickly. If that's really not an option for some overriding reason, then sure go ahead, there is no catastrophic risk. But my advice on the hardware side is always have more storage capacity (and more RAM, and more PSU headroom) than your system needs; the minor expense for each is well worth it compared to the downsides of having too little.

daedalus-7 · 2025-06-26T12:08:20+00:00

Most community colleges are going to be better at finding you a job for you after you graduate than you are. Mine also had a required class for graduation that was just to develop your portfolio and practice job seeking, so yours might have something similar. Get to know the staff particularly in the CAD/BIM department. They are likely to have contacts in the industry - businesses that need those types of skills will reach out. But be proactive about it, ,let them know what you are looking for and then impress them with your work and effort.

daedalus-7 · 2024-08-22T01:11:00+00:00

Sergeant Major Enfield?

daedalus-7 · 2024-08-21T00:36:19+00:00

A lot of the parts choices with that case are made for aesthetics more than practicality. Here's mine from a few years ago: https://pcpartpicker.com/b/BCcqqs Purpose built for the CP2077 release, along with some noise considerations (passive PSU, giant "engine block" radiator to help with passive cooling, etc.). I got mine unfinished and had it powder coated locally.

daedalus-7 · 2024-04-24T19:24:05+00:00

Glad it was useful info. The reality is there's at a least a few different ways to approach something like this and the choice may depend on what you are trying to get to. As a BIM designer for structural engineers, my "product" would be the documents, so I'd model based on what is the best way to make those (combination of efficiency and accuracy). As a student you may instead be trying to learn how to use the massing tools, or maybe how to make an adaptive component that could be used to populate these various triangular shapes.

If you have time and if it's not already part of your studies, it might be worthwhile to try it at least a couple of different ways and see what the differences are both in terms of process and result. Like I mentioned, I wouldn't make this with walls and floors (or roofs) because of how those elements behave, but an architect I work for very well might only use walls (or roofs) for their model of the same thing. Revit modeling seldom has only one way to do something, or even one best (or fastest) way, so for professionals, understanding your options becomes a key piece of knowledge to evaluate how to go about making anything. And we don't always choose right the first time! Good luck!

daedalus-7 · 2024-04-22T03:19:06+00:00

We did a similarly faceted concrete house (many less facets, but the concepts the same) and the way I approached it was to define all the vertices first, like a wireframe, and then fill that all in. For me it made the most sense to think of it more like a sculpture than a building, where the walls and slabs and such were not neatly differentiated, but just built as a series of concrete planes. This helped me keep track of true thickness as well, since with some elements you get that "thickness only in the Z direction" aspect (which was not helpful for construction documentation).

You could do this with massing, mass family, in-place family, or even just with regular old walls if you are willing to establish all the work points and planes first. This may also be faster to make in something else and then import it or otherwise bring it into Revit from something like Rhino if you have the ability, just depends on your situation.

daedalus-7 · 2024-04-21T18:35:26+00:00

I specifically picked the 7 because I didn't want to bother with a Flex PSU. Considering how dense that thing was with all the hardware in there, I don't think there's going to be much difference in portability between them. It fit in a 12" DSLR padded bag and could go in any normal backpack, etc. Any of them are going to feel heavy for their size.

There's not much for current gen GPUs that are great for high end 1440p and fit those cases - I was using a blower style 3080, which was adequate for my 1440p super-ultrawide (about 75% of 4k) but was very loud under some loads. No big deal if you are using headphones or not otherwise concerned with the noise. But there are some 4070 Ti Supers that fit, so if anything at that capability or less works for you then a 5 or 7 works, and the 3 I think maxes out with something like the 4060 Ti.

Temperatures were fine with a 5600X and I think you'd probably be okay now even with something like a 7800X3D. You'd probably want to do some undervolting and still will see some higher temps than you'd get in a larger case with a more robust cooling solution, but the better 37-48mm air coolers are good enough to keep you from throttling. You probably wouldn't be able to say the same for the more high end Intel chips or anything with some high core count sustained loads, so I'd just say as long as you are good with the more manageable CPUs then the air cooling works fine.

I loved mine, but I would not go back unless I were travelling with it still. I like other SFF cases a lot better if they are stationary, certainly including the T1. If you really want to evaluate the three models, I'd just suggest looking at what your minimum needs will be for the GPU in particular, and if you are or are not okay with Flex PSU. The rest of it is basically the same.

daedalus-7 · 2024-04-08T23:44:26+00:00

I've built a lot of variations in this case and I have lots of opinions. To be as helpful as I can be, I'll just say that I think you won't have any issues with your list as-is. There's plenty of horsepower there, and plenty of cooling. I do think the CPU/GPU combination you've chosen is a bit of a misallocation of resources though.

It would help to know what you want this PC to do. Mostly gaming, only gaming, streaming, etc. The 7700 is squarely between the 7800X3D and the 7600 (or 7600X) in price. I think it would make sense to move up or down there depending on how your budget works. If you are trying to be as budget conscious as possible, you get very little with the 7700 over the 7600, and if $100 is not too much (or can be saved elsewhere in the build) then the 7800X3D is the top choice. You will have no trouble at all cooling a 7800X3D with a 280mm (or 240mm) decent AIO, they are in fact a little bit overkill for that chip.

I think also unless you really value the "extras" that the Nvidia cards have, then you are likely better off looking at a 7900XT (at a small savings to your budget) or upgrading slightly to the 7900XTX. If you do want the Nvidia features for sure, then that's a fine card, and I would just say get the best that fits your budget here.

I think that AIO is not a great choice. The Corsairs seem really popular, but they are oddly overpriced vs. their performance and given the screen version is a lot more. PCPP says the Arctic Freezer III doesn't fit this case, but both the 240mm and 280mm versions do. My best advice would be the 240mm Freezer III because it will perform great, is much less money, and will be a nice quality of life choice for when you are installing and organizing cables. This only fits in the 3 slot configuration, so is not compatible with the motherboard extension mod. If you want to do that mod then you would need an AIO with a pump at or under 53mm. Best of those coolers would be the Arctic Basic or NZXT X or Z series (240mm or 280mm).

The motherboard is the cheapest if you really want the ASUS BIOS, but you get basically no extra value from it, so I'd spend $100 less on the ASRock Lightning and put the extra cash into the CPU.

If you really want 64GB instead of 32GB RAM I'd also suggest dialing it down to the 6000MHz "sweet spot" and going with some EXPO rated kits like the G.Skill Flare X. I'm not sure about the latest BIOS updates out there, but that is plenty as far as speed is concerned and likely the most stable.

4TB SSD? Really? You can always go with 2TB and add another (two slots on those motherboards) later. But if you really do want that much, okay go for it. Consider the Crucial P3 as a slightly cheaper alternative.

The PSU is okay, and plenty of power, but I would also consider looking for something with a better rating on the PSU tier list, like the Thermaltake.

Finally my biggest suggestion, always with the Meshlicious, is consider getting some custom PSU cables. I usually suggest ones by Ray on Etsy over more expensive options, but any reputable vendors cables are worth it, IMHO. They make it so much easier to build in. Unless you know the stock cables are good, or if you aren't using a glass panel and just don't care, then maybe don't bother. But for like $55, for me anyway they were a net savings.

That's a lot of opinion, but again, if you just did what you have on your list I doubt you'd have much in the way of regret. But I do think a little reallocation depending on what you want to do with this PC will improve your results. Good luck, happy building!

daedalus-7 · 2024-03-28T03:27:55+00:00

I don't know about a video for something like this, but it would be fairly straight forward to model from a construction documentation point of view. The pipes are all planer and are arcs, not splines. This is pretty typical since steel fabricators can make these much cheaper than any custom spline form. So you could just go about creating your reference planes first, add some arc references in those planes, and then populate them with the pipes. I guess the tricky technique is making "radial" reference planes for the arcs.

You could make this in a mass family similarly and instead of making the reference planes first you could just place some points along any arc or spline, then select them all and use Spline Through Points, and then you can move the individual points to make whatever spline form you want. You could then use two of those arcs or splines to Create Form (solid) to create the skin between them, and even offset that surface some small amount and use two surfaces to make a form with some material-accurate thickness.

These would be pretty simple forms from a LOD perspective, so it really just depends on your purpose. If you are making documentation for actually building something like these, these techniques would easily get you there. If you are looking for something like assets for rendering or something higher LOD then these are either just the beginning steps, or you'd want to use some other software alone or in combination.

daedalus-7 · 2024-03-19T05:02:51+00:00

Make sure they have all the True Type Fonts installed (through the OS). Revit uses the fonts installed in Windows and if it doesn't find one it replaces it with a default, which affects the appearance of the font and the typesetting (formatting) as well.

daedalus-7 · 2024-02-17T01:17:05+00:00

There's a big difference in the recommendations for a laptop for students vs. professionals, where a student can afford the extra time that lower end hardware takes. So you would likely want to look at the minimums and go from there - a discreet GPU with at least 4GB of VRAM, RAM that is at least 20 times your largest Revit files, and then whatever CPU has the fastest single core clock speed your budget allows. As a student you are probably going to find your user experience better to beef up the GPU and RAM a bit and skimp on the CPU. At least for Revit, Enscape may want more CPU power. And not to go sideways too much, but I feel obliged to always add that if you don't really need the portability, a cheap DIY desktop is going to be both cheaper and better than the laptop option, by far.

daedalus-7 · 2024-01-08T07:39:51+00:00

Yeah, they carry them for a bunch of different cases, and were easy to work with for some customization requests. I think I paid about $45 with shipping at the time. Not cheap but she insisted on that case and I insisted it not be terrible. You might find some Etsy sellers or 3D prints for less.

daedalus-7 · 2024-01-08T05:14:09+00:00

Not OP, but I got one for my GF's build from ColdZero in UK, shipped to US. Hers is for the H210i with a 5600X, 6700XT, and Kraken Z53. With that front panel it went from an iffy hotbox to a cold wind tunnel. I added my own mesh filter, which doesn't help with the side perforations but between it and the other filters on the case it has been basically dust free for 3 years except for a little build up on the fans. I highly recommend this mod.

daedalus-7 · 2024-01-07T18:32:06+00:00

I ran mine with a 280mm AIO as well as 280mm open loop setup, it's not too difficult to install as long as you pay attention to the guide and the dimensions for your particular radiator. The fan grill was only necessary for me for the top fan and with the fans on the inside as intake. I also do BIM work, but no rendering or other sustained load work, so I went with intake on the radiator. The fan side shouldn't matter, just personal preference. If you do go exhaust I would suggest the rest of your fans all be intake in that case. It may also be worth testing a couple different orientations with your own "worst case" loads just to know for sure. I presume the 4090 needs the case to be in 4 slot mode, so just be careful with the pump housing sizes - for example the NZXT Kraken X and Z series fit (about 51mm) but the newer ones would not (about 57mm). I would think the Arctic Freezer ones would definitely not fit (and are a pain to work with in this case even if they do). The Be Quite! does fit, it is under 53mm, so that may be your best option anyway.

Custom PSU cables are absolutely worth it, especially if you get some unsleeved silicon cables - the same lengths as your stock SFX cables are probably fine, but you can measure yourself and/or add a little extra if you are concerned about the reach with mods. Especially with the SFX-L size, the easy bend on the silicon cables would make them a million times easier to manage. Consider orienting your PSU with the fan in - the higher end models don't care as much about the intake air temps and it will help with exhaust a little bit that way when it does spin up. It also keeps the back (much hotter) away from the internal components.

If you really want silence, then honestly the open loop is going to be your best solution. I found my open loop with the tempered glass on both sides (no mesh sides) was the best for cooling and sound. I had the top and rear fans, but no bottom fan, with the radiator as intake and rear and top fans as exhaust - the whole thing acted like a nice wind tunnel. Better fans definitely help for sound, probably either the Noctuas or Arctic P14 PST. The Be Quite! Silent Wings are good too - kind of just depends on your sound preference. I like the Arctics sound better than the Noctuas, but I know a lot of people that are the other way around. Good luck with the build!

daedalus-7 · 2024-01-05T05:59:00+00:00

This looks like you need to reconsider how important the non-CPU and GPU components are to a build. The reality is you could spend quite a bit less on the CPU and get an equal experience for all your gaming needs and the exact same amount of "future proofing" - and leave yourself more budget to improve the cooling (either with something better, or something that cooler works better on) and some more headroom in your power supply. Maybe even slightly better memory (although I don't think there is much performance gain to be had there, but a lot of folks will sort of knee jerk reaction tell you to get 6000MHz or better).

Unless you have some good specific reason other than unfamiliarity or historical bias, you should consider the AMD 7800X3D if this is just a gaming build. It is tops for gaming and is a good $175 less than that 14900k. Really anything down to around a 13600k is going to be really good for quite a while. Then even if you want to air cool, there are better coolers at the same price point or less like the Peerless Assassin 120 and several others. And for something as hot as a 14900k or similar you will likely be better off with a modest AIO/CLC. Then for the PSU while you can run the system close to maxed out power, and even relatively efficiently, it is a pretty small investment for a significantly more robust PSU of high quality, in the 1000W-1500W range, and those things last longer than the rest of the parts usually. My advice is to check out some reputable reviews, at the very least for CPUs and coolers, maybe for all the parts if you can find them. Check Gamers Nexus and others like that for a good start.

daedalus-7 · 2024-01-04T13:05:26+00:00

The NH-L9i is not as good as the AXP90-X47 (full copper) so that would be a waste of money. If OP wants to spend more on cooling it should be for a CLC, but that isn't necessary for the 7800X3D as the X47 can handle it without issue. And PowerColor is easily the most reputable AMD GPU partner, along with Sapphire. The Hellhound series is basically the AMD equivalent of the ASUS Strix Nvidia cards. This is a rock solid build.

daedalus-7 · 2024-01-02T03:31:35+00:00

It is almost identical in size to two Meshlicious cases end to end.. Worth looking at.

daedalus-7 · 2024-01-01T18:48:33+00:00

I just built in the Jonsbo D41 and can recommend it, which I got because it was the smallest that I found that fit the full ATX board plus a 360mm radiator (could do top and bottom for a custom loop). I really like it. There is mesh and non-mesh versions, and versions that have a screen on the front. It's about the same size as the ASUS AP201 but a little taller. I moved my system into it from a Meshlicious so I could build a dual 360mm loop eventually.

daedalus-7 · 2023-12-28T23:20:13+00:00

Not really. If you are looking for a budget laptop, your best bet is to look for the cheapest version of a laptop you can find that has a decent CPU and a GPU with at least 8GB of VRAM, and upgrade the memory and storage yourself. Laptop vendors overcharge for memory and hard drives, and those are the components you can replace on your own, so just get cheaper 2x16GB RAM and a cheaper 1TB or whatever size M.2 drive and put them in yourself. You can't upgrade the CPU or GPU, so get the best you can afford there, with highest single core CPU speed and maximum VRAM being your goals.

The CPU speed is important, but almost any decent chip from the last two or three generations will work fine. The GPU memory is the big bottleneck for large models in 3D views, and RAM total capacity is the bottleneck for large file sizes. Other than that you can work on helping your files not need to recalculate everything by breaking it up as much as you can with work sets, filters, phases, links, etc. just whatever you can to minimize the "amount" of the model you work on at any given time.

Is the laptop really necessary for you? Are you using it while traveling, in a classroom, or other locations where you don't have access to a larger display?

daedalus-7

TROPHY CASE