I am currently in the process of selecting parts for my first PC build, but I cannot seem to find one perfectly fits my desires. Here is the selection criteria I have devised for my future case.
- Must be mITX. Love the idea of a small form factor that takes up little space on my desk and can be transported to LAN parties etc.
- Adequate GPU space, a given since this is primarily for gaming.
- Space for 1 HDD and 1/2 SSDs
- 2 Fan Mount locations for airflow at least
- 1 Radiator Location (120mm or 140mm
- Fairly small total size, nothing even close to the bulk of the prodigy or 380t.
- Decent CPU air cooler support, in case I don't add a AIO in the future or have something temporarily.
This is my first time posting here so don't maul me if I made any mistakes.
- I live in Australia, keep that in mind
Did you have a target price range in mind?
This https://www.ncases.com/ is one of the finest cases I've seen and I believe it roughly meets your requirements. It is quite a bit more expensive than most options out there though.
I live in Australia, I should have mentioned, so the Ncase would cost me ~$300 local currency if I could even get one shipped here unfortunately @mythicalcreature
Not super easy to reply to you without knowing your price range but I'll do my best.
Sharkoon QB One: cheap, supports a double radiator and has plenty of airflow, supports coolers up to 150 mm tall, GPU up to 310 mm long and comes with 2 USB 3.0 + 2 USB 3.0 on the front. It's a compact lightweight case. Construction quality matching the price.
Look at SilverStone's microATX range. A lot of cases will suit your needs and they provide cases for both generous or humble budgets. Construction quality is usually good with lots of aluminium keeping the weight down. Some of their cases show somewhat odd layouts and some patience is required for the build, but airflow tends to be good. Some options would be the SilverStone SG08B-Lite, the SilverStone SST-CS01B mITX or the SilverStone SG12B.
Cooler Master microATX case range is also worth a look. They tend to be cheaper than the Silverstone ones.
Antec's ISK600M or P50 Window. Good airflow, good internal layout and radiator support. Not sure what size of coolers it can support. The ISK600M should be able to something like a 212 EVO, but do check that out.
Cooltek GT-05: I don't like its looks but you might. Good support for taller coolers (up to 165mm) and big GPUs (up to 340 mm). Very affordable.
Xigmatec/Aerocool cases: Aggressive looks which pleases some. Lots of cooling options and often with built in front fan control and carrying handles. Check the Strike-X Cube (cooler up to 180 mm, GPU up to 320 mm) and the Aerocool XPredator Cube (cooler up to 162 mm and GPU up to 320 mm).
I hope this can help you!
Thanks for the detailed reply, I don't really have a set budget for the case at this point but around $150 Australian is probably the in ballpark, but the biggest limiting factor is location. I will get back to you with my thoughts on your suggestions @texnato
@texnato, The Silverstone SG08B-lite seems nice, the ISK-600 is not my thing and the Sharkoon is not available anywhere near me.
I really want mITX so I didn't really look into the others. Have you had any experiences with any of Lian Li's offerings?
I never did own a Lian Li case. I looked in to them when I was buying a case recently but I found their cases and configurations somewhat odd… I like to keep things simple and usually go with straightforward solutions.
Silverstone makes good cases and usually manages to their creativity on a tight leash. The main issue with the SG08B-lite is the CPU cooler's clearance… 160 mm is usually what I'd go for a cooler able to provide silent yet adequate cooling for a moderate OC (around 100 W thermal output).
Looking at Lian Li's range I can't find a single miniITX with what I'd define as adequate ventilation, as they don't come with an unrestricted fan intake. I think Silverstone's SUGO series has better options. And I know that you are keen on the miniITX, but some of the microATX cases have also moderate dimensions and there are more options to choose from on that form factor.
I should let you know that I prize silence and freedom of choice so I usually go (and recommend) cases using an ATX power supply instead of SFX form factor one. Just how important is cooling performance to you? If you're not looking in to OC a few more options are available.
For, me quiet pc that has lots of options is also desirable, but I may want to do some moderate over clocks depending on how things pan out. Micro ATX doesn't really offer anything for me, as I only see myself using 1 GPU and I prefer external sound cards. @texnato
Have you checked Silverstone's Raven series? Like the RVZ01? It sure is small, offers great GPU cooling, slim slide type ODD, looks amazing and… just don't go crazy with the OC.
HardwareCanucks made a great review on it:
@texnato the RVZ01 looks great, but not really what I'm looking for.
Have you had any experiences with the Thermaltake v1, it seems like it would be fairly loud and full of dust @deejeta
depends on how clean the room is kept - any case will be full of dust in a given amount of time. vacuum the room once a week and it should be just fine.