Most micro-ATX cases that I can find seem to be very thick, presumably to support large tower coolers for high end builds. But, if you’re doing a low end build, those cases end up being unnecessarily large. Does anybody know of any micro-ATX cases that would make good business desktop class machines without being unnecessarily large? The fractal core 1000 is the only case I know of that is exactly the size I’m looking for - it’s about the same size as a Dell optiplex 7020. But other than the Sliger Cerberus X (which is quite expensive), I’m not aware of anything else that’s around that size. Please let me know if you know of any cases that fit the bill!
Basically the wish list is:
micro-ATX
supports a typical low end CPU box cooler (e.g. intel laminar)
supports full-height PCIe cards (but not enormous GPUs)
(preference, not critical) supports an ATX power supply.
Is as small as possible while fulfilling the above requirements.
Another for the AP201, though the Fractal Design Pop Mini Silent is what I’d opt for in an office setting.
As far and “thickness” that’s going to be mostly governed by Add-on cards. Money no object (and I know it is very much one) the Fractal Node 202, SSUPD Meshalicious, or Hyte Revolt 3 will be “thinner” and “smaller”.
The Sliger Cerberus is probably the lowest you can go in volume before you need to compromise.
I agree that a 130mm width should be all you require though, in theory a 270x250x130 case (sub-10 liters) should be all you require if you place the PSU outside the case. Placing it inside, though, requires 70-90 mm is added in height or depth, depending on if it is SFX or not.
For stock coolers, you have:
The Intel Laminar RH1 at 69mm height and 65W TDP
The Intel Laminar RM1 / RS1 at 47mm height and 65W TDP
The AMD Wraith Stealth at 54mm height and 65W TDP (46mm without shroud)
The AMD Wraith Spire at 71mm height and 95W TDP (64mm without shroud)
The AMD Wraith Prism at 93mm height and 105W TDP (86mm without shroud)
… Which makes Intel stock coolers laughably inadequate for anything above 12600 and 13600 (yes, the 13600K is also inadequate). One other contender, though you would need a riser cable or two, is the SFFTime N-ATX which would allow for all the stock coolers but the Wraith Prism.
As a summary so far (in case anyone else is looking in the future), of the ones recommended, these are the ones that seem to really match the business desktop form factor:
Silverstone SP15
Silverstone FARA 311/312
Fractal Cores 1000/1100
And some other interesting ones which are actually even smaller (I think):
ASUS Prime AP201
Silverstone SG02.
The other cases recommended are also pretty small, but are just a bit bigger in a couple dimensions.
very biased towards the entire Fractal Design Meshify line (there’s many models), however, I have the Mesify C and do not actually like it that much, its missing a LOT of quality of life features that the Meshify 2 cases have. So try to get some kinda Meshify 2 if you are considering those
The meshify 2 mini is a bit bigger than the form factor I was after, but I’ll take another look at it… I do appreciate that it has an general appealing look that isn’t too gamer-y and not terribly out of place in a professional/office context.
I fit a C14S in my Cerberus. U9S or D12L all also fit. There is nothing wrong with Intel chips in an office setting… in fact, I still tend to prefer intel for excel, Power BI and MATLAB.
Oh, I agree. I was referring to stock cooler capacity. Intel is… Well, not quite junk, but not good enough to cool a 13600k either. Obviously after market options are awesome on Intel though
