Best HTPC Case (or tiny case)

[pcmr2066]

Hi guys,

 

I'm looking for suggestions for an HTPC or a really small Mini-Itx PC that could fit a GTX 1080 Ti. Or at least the GTX 1080 Ti Mini.

 

I'm currently looking at the Node 202. I find it be okay, but I don't know if there's any better. For your suggestions, kindly tell me as well why your suggested case is better than the Node 202.

 

Draft build below:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  ($319.89 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - C7 Cu 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($49.95 @ Newegg Marketplace) 
Motherboard: MSI - B360I GAMING PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($97.16 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Team - Vulcan 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($139.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital - Blue 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($174.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Turbo Video Card  ($699.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design - Node 202 HTPC Case  ($76.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair - SF 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($114.89 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $1673.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-01 18:07 EDT-0400

[TVwazhere]

14 hours ago, pcmr2066 said:

Hi guys,

 

I'm looking for suggestions for an HTPC or a really small Mini-Itx PC that could fit a GTX 1080 Ti. Or at least the GTX 1080 Ti Mini.

 

I'm currently looking at the Node 202. I find it be okay, but I don't know if there's any better. For your suggestions, kindly tell me as well why your suggested case is better than the Node 202.

Perhaps look at the Ncase M1, DanCase C4, Loque Ghost S1 or Cougar QBX

[pcmr2066]

2 hours ago, TVwazhere said:

Perhaps look at the Ncase M1, DanCase C4, Loque Ghost S1 or Cougar QBX

Woooow. Thank you for this! The DanCase C4 and the Loque Ghost S1, I particularly like. Although I can only find the DanCase A4 for a whopping $225. I wouldn't want to jump on that yet since the C4 looks to be even more promising. I really love that case, I hope it's just around the corner and ready to be available soon. Thanks again!!

[TVwazhere]

16 minutes ago, pcmr2066 said:

Woooow. Thank you for this! The DanCase C4 and the Loque Ghost S1, I particularly like. Although I can only find the DanCase A4 for a whopping $225. I wouldn't want to jump on that yet since the C4 looks to be even more promising. I really love that case, I hope it's just around the corner and ready to be available soon. Thanks again!!

Ther'es a whole thread on this forum about it!  

No word from @dondan about exactly when these will release, but he will have a kick starter going for this soon

[Jrasero]

Yeah the Node 202 at $80 is probably your best bang for your buck, however the Dan Case A4 at 7 liters is probably better since it can fit a 92MM AIO and has a higher build quality.  It is true $225 is a ton for a case plus you have to pay at least $25 in shipping and it takes at least a couple weeks to be delivered.  The NCase M1 at under 13L is probably the only sub 20L case that can do 240MM AIO or dual 120MM AIO making it an extremely versatile case and while less expensive than a Dan Case at $195 you have to pay at least $25 in shipping and it takes at least a couple weeks to be delivered.  Both the Dan Case and NCase are sold on SFFLab and while they do have multi shipments every month their dates aren't always the most accurate.  I placed an order in July with the site stating an order placed by "X" date it would ship by "X" date, but after emailing customer service after I placed my order 3 days before the deadline (one guy who answers emails and process orders only twice a week), he told me the item was back ordered over a month.  So my suggestion is email customer service before you send in your order.   

 

  While the Louqe Ghost S1 is probably the most unique and most versatile at 199 euros your looking at over $230, plus a top hat is 39 euros/$45, oh then you have to pay for shipping.  So a case alone all in could easily hit the $300 mark shipped and these cases never seem to be in stock.  

 

Also there is the Doctor Zaber Zentry which was an Indiegogo campaign and was a 7L case that was a better Node 202 IMO.  The problem is that very few were made, it doesn't seem like they intend to take the project to retail or do a second run anytime soon.  Sometimes on hardware swaps you can find them for $200 but most of the time they can be found on ebay for ridiculous prices like $400.     

 

And that's the problem with SFF builds, they are either so so in terms of build quality (Node just looks cheap to me), crazy expensive, have limited availability, and have one or two major trade offs.  After my Ncase was delayed in July I cancelled my order, but it wasn't until I saw one in real life and compared it to my former Phanteks Evolv Shift which BTW is beautiful and can accommodate dual 120MM AIO but has heat issues, is huge at 22L, and frankly isn't on par with the NCase in terms of quality, did I realize the NCase is probably the best SFF PC in terms of overall size, performance, and cooling options.  

[bestbattle]

The smaller you go in size, the higher you go in price - even though you're using less material.

The price is because these kind of cases (Dan's for example) are made in small number. 

When making a really small HTPC you are the one who delimits the budget: DanCase would be ~15% of your system cost, which is high indeed. But if small footprint is more important than choosing best buys, then the choice is clear.

[Jrasero]

Some other cases to look out for is the Raijintek Ophion & Evo which are 15L and 20L and should be released in September and should cost sub $150 and should be readily available once launched.  However the Ophion at 15L can fit 120MM AIO and the Evo 20L can fit 240MM or hopefully two 120MM AIO.  Another case that really has my eye is the Streacom DA2 which I believe is 15L $220 and is supposed to be released around the start of September.  The case does support ATX PSU while allowing for full length GPU, and can house a 240MM AIO or 140MM AIO.  Its build quality seems on par if not better than the NCase and Dan Case.  I assume availability will be limited so if you are interested you can pre-order without credit card info at https://www.quietpcusa.com/Streacom-DA2-ITX-Aluminum-Case