Favorite ITX case?

[Beeeyeee]

Hey guys I have enough spare parts laying around for a gaming computer for my girlfriend. All I'm missing is a good case. So, what's your favorite mini-ITX case and why? Preferably with ATX PSU (or SFX if it's worth it) and a single 3.5" drive support.

I prefer something smaller

Here's the list of parts http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Beeeyeee/saved/JCQQzy

[MLG Doge]

Corsair 250D

[FloRolf]

enthoo evolv <3

[RefurBuilds]

Thermaltake Core V1 dirty cheap case and no problems, for me at least

[Bob Jim]

I own the Corsair 250D and I can tell you it is amazing. It is not the smallest ITX case avilable, but is pretty much no compromise; beautiful looks, window, fully dust filtered, 2 3.5" bays, 2 2.5" bays, ATX PSU support, 2x 80mm fan support at the back, 2x 120mm fan support on the side, and 120/140/200mm fan support at front, enough space for a thin 120/240mm radiator on the side, or a thick 120/140mm radiator at the front.

 

The only fault is cable management. While it isn't hard to make the window view look clean, trying to make the whole thing clean is incredibly hard - many, many zipties needed.

[TheRandomness]

SG13/SG05 <3

[Guest]

nCase M1. Beautiful, small, compact and powerful.

[Whorax]

Lian-Li PC-O5

 

Lian-Li's yacht case is cool too. It's new apparently.

[Joegeddon]

I quite like the Fractal Design Node 202 and the BitFenix Prodigy.

[shadowbyte]

rajintek meits

[Beeeyeee]

Lian-Li PC-O5

Lian-Li's yacht case is cool too. It's new apparently.

Oh my gosh that yacht case! Hahahahaha

[Blucyrik]

Cooler Master Elite 130 is great if you're on a low budget!

[StackUnderflow]

I have the Core 500 from fractal. Reasons are:

1. Full sized PSU

2. Under 20L (total volume, it will also fit in an most airline's carryon limits)

3. Heatsink height of 180mm (I put a NH-D14 in mine, which is as big as you can reasonably get)

4. 5 2.5in SSD + 1 3.5in HDD + optical drive (or use the 5.25in slot for slim optical and another 3.5 in HDD)

5. Ability to put in a double length radiator

6. Vents on the top, sides and bottom

7. Upto 12.5 in graphics cards at least (though you might have issues cramming all the cables behind the PSU)

8. Most efficient use of space (hence the under 20L comment)

9. Dust filters everywhere

This case is hard to assemble, don't follow the instructions it comes with. Install your motherboard first, connect all the cables, then install the power supply. Especially if you have a massive heatsink. Some of those headers wont be reachable if you put in both the mobo and the PSU.

 

I've considered the Cosair 250D, and the Coolermaster Elite Mini ITX cases, none of them offer the amount of aircooling heatsink height and low volume as this case.

 

If you don't need fancy air cooling or a full sized PSU, go with the RVZ02(RVZ01 will give you ~20mm extra heatsink headroom) or the FTZ01 if you don't want it to look gamery.

[Joegeddon]

Lian-Li PC-O5

 

Lian-Li's yacht case is cool too. It's new apparently.

The Lian-Li PC-05 is the sexiest case I've ever seen, period.

[Whorax]

Oh my gosh that yacht case! Hahahahaha

Funny af. I want one

[mikat]

Hey guys I have enough spare parts laying around for a gaming computer for my girlfriend. All I'm missing is a good case. So, what's your favorite mini-ITX case and why? Preferably with ATX PSU (or SFX if it's worth it) and a single 3.5" drive support.

I prefer something smaller

Here's the list of parts http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Beeeyeee/saved/JCQQzy

raijintek metis black  (SFX PSU)

(btw, dont follow the manual, it's horrible)

install the psu last, and plug in the mobo connectors before installing the cpu cooler when using a tall cooler

[MichaelGavel]

Phantek's Evolv ITX is the best IMO. It's almost no compromise for an ITX size case.

 

- It can fit a Noctua NH-D15 and a Gigabyte G1 card.

 

- It has a easy mount bracket for a 120mm radiator and custom water cooling support like reservoir and pump mounts as well as modular storage options through out the case. 

 

- It even looks awesome to boot, has a 200mm fan in the front w/ a fan hub for other case fans for great airflow and a basement for cable management with a cutaway to show off your power supply if you want.

[Aniallation]

ML05. Too bad it can't have a dedicated GPU, but its so cute XP

[ForsakenLive]

I could list a good couple of mini ITX cases that there are available and look great. But personally I think the whole purpose of going mini ITX is actually saving space.

Any case that has similar footprint as any ATX mid tower case I can't consider worth it; for example: if you can fit a Cooler Master Elite 130 or Fractal Design Core 500 in your desk, you can absolutely fit a NZXT S340... That case has less width and is roughly 40cm (16") deep, which is what I'd expect ANY desk should be.

And cases like the Prodigy, 250D or 380T sound ridiculous. If you want one then it's because the aesthetic is pleasing, not because you are saving any amount of space or weight. And don't even get me started with the Phanteks stuff.

So if I were to pick an ITX case, it has to have a small footprint to make it worth it. I would say the Silverstone RVZ01, RVZ02, FTZ01 and Fractal Design Node 202, hit the nail just right when it comes to saving desk space.

[X99stattrak]

Corsair 380t[emoji14]

[squirrl]

Cooler Master Elite 130 is great if you're on a low budget!

The Elite 110 is even smaller/cheaper on a budget.

[Blucyrik]

The Elite 110 is even smaller/cheaper on a budget.

 

I've heard great things about the 110 as well

[Beeeyeee]

I could list a good couple of mini ITX cases that there are available and look great. But personally I think the whole purpose of going mini ITX is actually saving space.

Any case that has similar footprint as any ATX mid tower case I can't consider worth it; for example: if you can fit a Cooler Master Elite 130 or Fractal Design Core 500 in your desk, you can absolutely fit a NZXT S340... That case has less width and is roughly 40cm (16") deep, which is what I'd expect ANY desk should be.

And cases like the Prodigy, 250D or 380T sound ridiculous. If you want one then it's because the aesthetic is pleasing, not because you are saving any amount of space or weight. And don't even get me started with the Phanteks stuff.

So if I were to pick an ITX case, it has to have a small footprint to make it worth it. I would say the Silverstone RVZ01, RVZ02, FTZ01 and Fractal Design Node 202, hit the nail just right when it comes to saving desk space.

True. But at the same time I am just using leftover parts. And if I don't need more than one graphics card slot I don't have a need for a huge tall case. So that's why the phanteks entail evolv itx looks enticing for me. A mini itx board in a big case would look stupid. But this makes it easy to build in. And it's more about the height and how much you can fit in a box 1/4 as tall. Though I do love me some super tiny cases, they're just too expensive for me right now:(

[Acquire]

Fractal Design 304.  Full size ATX PSU, Full length GPUs. 165mm CPU coolers.  Very compact and good use of space.

 

I tried the Corsair 250D before this case and wasn't impressed with it.  I liked the exterior styling, but it was too big for how limited its internal layout was.  Too many restrictions on hardware and terrible cooling for aftermarket gpu coolers.