After some changes to what I have lying around at home, the node 304 that was keeping my main PC safe and happy has a new resident, my freeNAS build. While being great news for the NAS, the main rig is now homeless :(
My original plan was to have two node 304's, but after using one for several months now it is actually larger than what I need. The main PC is for work/internet and gaming. It has a m-itx motherboard with one SSD, a SFX power supply and an nvidia 660GTX video card.
Since the steam box has become so very famous, and although not for sale yet, I did want to ask if anyone knows where I can buy a similar sized case to house my main computer. This time next year the market will probably be full of options but at the moment I cannot seem to find any.
Any input from you wise ladies and/or gentleman? The main aim is to make the system as compact as possible, only using the SSD for windows and steam.
You should really read the OP more carefully before posting next time. ;)
The OP is looking for a mini-ITX case that would be similar in size/design to those used in many of the steambox concepts, which are mostly slim and small like HTPC's.
Hence, many of those cases you suggested are far too large (like the Prodigy and Phenom(which is mATX, not mITX), and or they will probably not fit the OPs GPU. Most if not all GTX660's are reference-length cards, meaning they are longer than the 6.7" square frame of an m-ITX motherboard (it'll stick out). That rules out most of those suggestions, unfortunately.
As edub430 mentioned, the Raven RVZ01 is probably the best option at the moment. I can't think of any other off the top of my head that are still thin but also retains the ability to house a full-sized GPU. The cooler master Elite 130 is not a bad looking little box, but it's about the same size as the Node 304 and not slim...
If you had actually looked at any of then instead of blankly dismissing them you would have seen that the BitFenix cases are in fact mITX. And if you have paid any attention to them at all you would know that the mITX version came first by some many months. Only after demand were the mATX versions produced, but please carry on informing me that I am wrong.
As for the full length GPU issue, the vast majority of what I have posted can house full size a GPU some of them can handle two, but I clearly did not do any research so carry on. The Bitfenix cases in particular can fit them perfectly, there have been builds which held a GTX 690 and other that have full custom loop water cooling, but as you pointed out space might be a issue so they are out of the question.
Just because a motherboard is shorter than a GPU does not in any conceivable sense or universe mean you cannot use one. That is complete nonsense.
As you will see I did indeed link a Cooler Master 120 and I quote "The Elite 120 Advanced supports more affordable, quiet, efficient and easily available Full Size ATX PSU’s. It can accommodate even the largest Ultra High-End VGAs, a 5.25” optical drive and up to 5 HDDs or SSDs."
And finally there was my personal favourite for this particular application the SilverStone Sugo SG08-LITE, "Support graphics cards up to 12.2 inches" With an image on the very link I posted to back it up, with no less than an AMD HD6990 inside the case, Sorry I did not pick cases that could house such cards I guess nothing short of 4 feet of space is just not good enough.
I will try to be a little more considerate next time and offer a smaller choice, after all it is my decision what case OP picks, who needs choice...
I think you misunderstood what I was tying to say.... I did not say ALL the cases you suggested should be ruled out, nor did I ever say you were "wrong". The Prodigy is quite large for an mITX case which is contrary to what the OP was looking for. The Phenom, designed for mATX mobo's is even bigger.
My point about the GPU's being larger than the mITX mobo's was to point out that some of the cases you suggested cannot fit a GPU that is much longer than the mobo, like the Cubitek and the Xigmatek Nebula. Again, I was not referring to ALL the cases you suggested.
My personal gaming rig is in a Node 304. I did a lot of research on a lot of mITX cases before purchasing, so I'm well aware there are many that can fit a full sized GPU. Perhaps my use of the word "most" was a bit much. But the main point I was trying to make was that you suggested cases that were not really what the OP is looking for.
Anyways, it's water under the bridge. One thing I think we can agree on is there's certainly a lot more choices out there for mITX solutions than there were last year and quite a few of them do support full size GPUs.
The coolermaster 110 is one example that is smaller than the node 304 but it doesn't have the compactness of a steam box that I am looking for.
The Raven is the closest thing available, but it isn't exactly what I was looking for. It is slim but also has a large surface area.
For now I will fabricate something and see how that will turn out. Probably from acrylic. It will not be a permanent solution but as an experiment it might be interesting. The deployment of the cooling fans will be the key, for example using one fan for two jobs. I will keep you all up to date with the progress.
My recommendation would be EVGA Hadron. There is one condition, however. The case is really nice looking and really small. The condition is your GPU. It may be to large, so you may have to check this out...
