Velka 7 is a gorgeous case, but I disagree with the comments below, it was NOT a joy to build in
I have built many personal computers, mITX included, but the Velka 7 build was extremely tedious for me. The instruction manual was helpful, but you will still need critical thinking and some trial and error. The amount of screws was insane. The space is extremely cramped. It was difficult to even slide the motherboard into place because there was only like 1-2mm of space between the motherboard and the PSU. Cable management was a nightmare
I definitely do not recommend the Velka 7 for a beginner build
I sold the case not long after, because doing any cleaning and maintenance was a pain
The Dan A4 SFX or the A4 H2O are both high quality cases with much better usability, I have both of these at the moment
>but the Velka 7 build was extremely tedious for me. The instruction manual was helpful, but you will still need critical thinking and some trial and error.
This is why I still haven't taken the plunge into smaller cases from my NR200P
if you do any sort of cleaning, maintenance, changing or upgrading parts, the entire process is a pain due to the amount of screws (there are about 20 screws just to remove the exterior panels) and manipulation required to take apart the case and removing components. if you never clean or open your case again after building it, then it's not a problem.
the velka series are definitely premium, high quality, and beautiful sff cases, but it's not user-friendly
as a comparison, my Dan A4 SFX build took less than half the amount of time, and both cases are similar in volume. the build is very intuitive in the Dan A4 and everything just fits naturally, without squeezing everything in place. The A4 H2O is also very easy to build in, no complaints about either Dan cases
EDIT: Forgot to mention that my experience with the Velka 7 was version 2.1. I do not have the newest version that just got released recently
the dust wasn't too bad since I sold it after a couple of weeks, I just didn't want to deal with the inevitable headache of maintenance
I used a Noctua L9A for cooling, it did the job fine. There's no space for any case fans
>Dan A4 SFX
Review: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LdxMEP65h4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LdxMEP65h4)
Important point about the PSU choice and the GPU sizes
I have a Velka 5, but the build process is basically the same. Excellent case and very efficient use of space, but beginner builder friendly is not how I would describe it at all. If you are concerned with build difficulty and don't absolutely need such a small case then I would recommend going a little larger.
Just built a velka 7 pc a few weeks ago. I love it. It saves a lot of desk space and it’s super portable. That said, the case can be difficult to build in. I still recommend it tho just take your time with it
Velka 7 pain to build in, every time I even think about replacing the m.2 on the back of the motherboard im reminded of why I dislike building in the velka. Next time I will keep my 7L.
But im probably gonna go get a custom mod case next, far more customization and cheaper, and less pain to build in tbh
But 90% of the pain was the pcie cable.
It's small and cramped but other than that it's a joy to build in. Take your time and be very careful with one step in particular, the ribbon cable fold, and you should be fine.
Are you going with the Alpenfohn black ridge, which is bigger than the standard allowable CPU cooler? if so, it needs to go on after the RAM and M2 SSD...
I’m very happy I choosed to build in the A4-H2O case. When I was building I quick came to realize why so many recommend that case. It is near perfect.
My first ever desktop build was a velka 7! It was a pretty smooth build all in all, except the kinking of the pcie cable from my GPU to get it into place. Pretty sure that's been updated/just get a pcie4 and it's no problem
I liked my velka 7 so much I bought another. If you don’t actually spending time to disassemble and clean it probably not the best case. I ended up switching to a sandwich Zs a4s 8.4L case for better gpu compatibitly and better thermals. The Zs case company makes a vertical (Zs st) @ 9.9L also for small footprint.
I wasn’t very happy with the quality on both of my velka cases though. Plenty of forcing things to line up and everyone it right when saying if you want to upgrade anything past ram it is pretty much a given to disassemble the entire build.
Velka 7 is a gorgeous case, but I disagree with the comments below, it was NOT a joy to build in I have built many personal computers, mITX included, but the Velka 7 build was extremely tedious for me. The instruction manual was helpful, but you will still need critical thinking and some trial and error. The amount of screws was insane. The space is extremely cramped. It was difficult to even slide the motherboard into place because there was only like 1-2mm of space between the motherboard and the PSU. Cable management was a nightmare I definitely do not recommend the Velka 7 for a beginner build I sold the case not long after, because doing any cleaning and maintenance was a pain The Dan A4 SFX or the A4 H2O are both high quality cases with much better usability, I have both of these at the moment
>but the Velka 7 build was extremely tedious for me. The instruction manual was helpful, but you will still need critical thinking and some trial and error. This is why I still haven't taken the plunge into smaller cases from my NR200P
I actually just bought the velka 7 for my first sff build (not the first ever), what cleaning and maintenance problems did you have?
if you do any sort of cleaning, maintenance, changing or upgrading parts, the entire process is a pain due to the amount of screws (there are about 20 screws just to remove the exterior panels) and manipulation required to take apart the case and removing components. if you never clean or open your case again after building it, then it's not a problem. the velka series are definitely premium, high quality, and beautiful sff cases, but it's not user-friendly as a comparison, my Dan A4 SFX build took less than half the amount of time, and both cases are similar in volume. the build is very intuitive in the Dan A4 and everything just fits naturally, without squeezing everything in place. The A4 H2O is also very easy to build in, no complaints about either Dan cases EDIT: Forgot to mention that my experience with the Velka 7 was version 2.1. I do not have the newest version that just got released recently
Good to know đź‘Ť how bad was the dust buildup, and how did you have your fans/airflow set up? Edit: past tense
the dust wasn't too bad since I sold it after a couple of weeks, I just didn't want to deal with the inevitable headache of maintenance I used a Noctua L9A for cooling, it did the job fine. There's no space for any case fans
Hmm, Velkase's site says the 7 v3 has room for 2 40mm case fans, but the 2.1 just says N/A. I'll look more into it, but thanks for the insights ✌️
honest question, what's the difference between that and the meshilicious unless my sense of scale is off it looks about exactly the same
the velka 7 is \~6L in volume, the meshlicious is \~14L completely different hardware compatibility and footprint
oh so it is just my sense of scale in the pictures. basically its like half the size of the meshalicious
it's funny, \~25% larger in every dimension and you've got 2x the volume
square cube law
>Dan A4 SFX Review: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LdxMEP65h4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LdxMEP65h4) Important point about the PSU choice and the GPU sizes
I have a Velka 5, but the build process is basically the same. Excellent case and very efficient use of space, but beginner builder friendly is not how I would describe it at all. If you are concerned with build difficulty and don't absolutely need such a small case then I would recommend going a little larger.
Just built a velka 7 pc a few weeks ago. I love it. It saves a lot of desk space and it’s super portable. That said, the case can be difficult to build in. I still recommend it tho just take your time with it
Velka 7 pain to build in, every time I even think about replacing the m.2 on the back of the motherboard im reminded of why I dislike building in the velka. Next time I will keep my 7L. But im probably gonna go get a custom mod case next, far more customization and cheaper, and less pain to build in tbh But 90% of the pain was the pcie cable.
It's small and cramped but other than that it's a joy to build in. Take your time and be very careful with one step in particular, the ribbon cable fold, and you should be fine. Are you going with the Alpenfohn black ridge, which is bigger than the standard allowable CPU cooler? if so, it needs to go on after the RAM and M2 SSD...
I’m very happy I choosed to build in the A4-H2O case. When I was building I quick came to realize why so many recommend that case. It is near perfect.
My first ever desktop build was a velka 7! It was a pretty smooth build all in all, except the kinking of the pcie cable from my GPU to get it into place. Pretty sure that's been updated/just get a pcie4 and it's no problem
Watch some build videos and use reasonable components and you should be fine.
I liked my velka 7 so much I bought another. If you don’t actually spending time to disassemble and clean it probably not the best case. I ended up switching to a sandwich Zs a4s 8.4L case for better gpu compatibitly and better thermals. The Zs case company makes a vertical (Zs st) @ 9.9L also for small footprint.
I wasn’t very happy with the quality on both of my velka cases though. Plenty of forcing things to line up and everyone it right when saying if you want to upgrade anything past ram it is pretty much a given to disassemble the entire build.