Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
Closed

Hands-On With Five Mini-ITX Cases

Tags:
  • Performance
  • Cases
  • Systems
  • Power
Last response: in Reviews comments
Share
Anonymous
February 8, 2011 3:00:07 AM

Mini-ITX-based systems are attractive because they generally combine low-power operation and decent performance in a small package. But you need a good case to accommodate the restrictions of compact hardware. Today we try five different Mini-ITX cases.

Hands-On With Five Mini-ITX Cases : Read more

More about : hands mini itx cases

February 8, 2011 4:13:33 AM

Q08 supports expansion cards of length upto 300mm. It is mentioned on the Lian Li website and prople have built systems with cards like Radeon 5870 in it.
Score
0
February 8, 2011 4:16:21 AM

Lian Li PC-Q08 is my pick everytime but why did you guys not look at the SG07?
Score
0
Related resources
February 8, 2011 6:22:15 AM

I (custom) build an element Q with an H50 water cooler. I had to (custom) move the PSU to the front of the machine under the 5.25" drive bay. This involved drilling out the rivets and reriveting them in order to hammer the pieces into shape. It also can fit a large video card in there (but this is not a gaming rig). There is a 6 2.5" hard drive software raid array in it and it is running Debian 6.0... Smallest water cooled rig in the world? Maybee.... Sorry if double post... Not sure...
Score
0
February 8, 2011 6:22:47 AM

Please, do something with picture gallery.
Score
0
February 8, 2011 6:52:23 AM

Perhaps its worth mentioning that you can get the SG05 with silverstone 450watt SFF psu instead allowing a bit more power. My current setup consists of the same Motherboard as used in this test Zotacs gtx460 AMP edition, an 0verclocked I7 860 at 3,5ghz with the H50 cooler and 4 gigabytes of 1333mhz 8-8-8-21 memory. Runs like a dream. And temps are actually quite good as the gfx card blows the heat directly out the side, and the push-pull airflow works very satifactory. Only thing to beware of is cable clutter as it can really mess up the airflow in these small cases.
Score
1
February 8, 2011 7:03:33 AM

I've been buying Shuttles for the last 10 years and I feel sad for not seeing any model included in this review.

They are reliable little boxes :-)

All the best,

Sharro
Score
-2
February 8, 2011 7:06:24 AM

MataskI7 860 at 3,5ghz with the H50 cooler

i5 2500@3.5GHz can be really cool with Big Shuriken@800rpm.
Score
0
February 8, 2011 8:58:17 AM

gti88i5 2500@3.5GHz can be really cool with Big Shuriken@800rpm.


Yeah prob would have gone another direction than the H50 should i buy something now since performance pr dollar isnt that high. However the new SB cpu's do overclock better than my 860..so its really no suprise you get good temps at 3,5 ghz with your I5..you prob would with stock cooler as well..at least from what i have read around the interwebs..
Score
0
February 8, 2011 10:27:09 AM

The Silverstone SG05 only accepts a slim optical drive, which really limits you for BluRay burners.

I ended up buying the Shuttle SH55-J2. This is a Mini-ITX case plus an ITX motherboard for an Intel LGA1156 processor. The case accepts a double-slot graphics card and a standard optical drive. And unlike past Shuttle products, you can upgrade the system with any standard ITX motherboard. It's also very quiet, which is a big plus for home theater.
Score
-1
February 8, 2011 10:33:02 AM

Some kind of noise, temperature and PSU testing would have been very welcome here. As would more and better installation pictures. Other than that, nice comparison.
Score
2
February 8, 2011 2:17:01 PM

The 300W PSU that comes in the SG05 case was tested by HardwareSecrets, and found to be good: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/FSP300-60GHS-Pow...
I built a small gamer in a PC-Q08R using a GTX460 and an i5/650. It runs a little warmer compared to when it had a HD5770 in it, but not too bad. It has gone back to being my secondary, so I need to switch the cards again (or I may put a HD6670 in it if they're decent). I'm using a semi-modular 550W Truepower New in it.
Score
0
Anonymous
February 8, 2011 2:24:40 PM

The HFX Micro M2 case would be a valueable addition to this article, since it it one of the few fanless mini itx cases available.
http://www.hfx.at/index.php?option=com_content&view=art...
I'm planning to combine it with an i5-2400S to replace my crapple mac mini.
Score
0
February 8, 2011 3:59:25 PM

The ISK-100 looks like a good option for those looking for a Fusion APU nettop, sans ODD (the ISK-310 makes it work with an ODD).

Dual 2.5" hard drive spaces make it work for an Atom-powered file server too. Use a Supermicro server-grade mini-ITX Atom motherboard and you're laughing.

FYI: Can we get information about the Radeon HD 6450? Does it do Hybrid Crossfire? Does the Fusion APU? Does the PCIe-x4 slot on the Fusion boards slow down the 6450 considerably, or does this make for a good, cheap upgrade for increasing the performance of the E-350's integrated graphics? This might be a good option for the lo-pro mini-ITX cases like the Antec without getting into one of those larger desktop-wannabe sized monstrosities. Plus, the whole idea of using a desktop-class PSU in a mini-ITX case defeats the purpose of using such a case IMO. Mini-ITX isn't just about size, but energy efficiency too.
Score
0
February 8, 2011 4:40:42 PM

I liked the article, though it would have been nice to discuss what kinds of low-profile graphics cards could the ISK-310 handle with its 150W PSU. An HD5550 maybe? Could it manage an HD5570? Surely you have some cards laying around you could try.
Score
0
February 8, 2011 5:29:27 PM

I like the Apex Mi-100 and similar cases. They are relatively small and cheap but can accommodate 5.25" DVD, 3.5' HD and stock fans.
Score
0
February 8, 2011 5:31:55 PM

rwpritchettI liked the article, though it would have been nice to discuss what kinds of low-profile graphics cards could the ISK-310 handle with its 150W PSU. An HD5550 maybe? Could it manage an HD5570? Surely you have some cards laying around you could try.


A 5450 lo-pro would work, but it depends on the CPU. Anything above that and you're gonna blow the PSU. Remember that some CPU's are rated up to 135W. If you use something like a 65W, and you consider the drives, the motherboard requirements, RAM, USB devices, etc., and the life-span/efficiency of the PSU, you can't just allow for 150W.

Just FYI though: AMD recommends a MINIMUM 400W PSU for even a 5450. That's for a complete desktop system mind you, but 150W is a huge step down for that.

If you look at Antec's PSU calculator, without putting any system specs in beyond a baseline mobo config, it sits at 34W. With a 5450 added, it jumps to 96W. So according to Antec, a 5450 uses about 63W by itself. That doesn't leave much headway for the rest of the system. If you used a 45W CPU, you might have enough for a 5450 with a bit of headroom left, but that's assuming the PSU is going to put out 150W of clean power, all the time, which is extremely unlikely. You should include at least a 10-15% low-point buffer in the wattage as a best practise, to allow for capacitor aging. 10% less of 150W is only ~136W. Keep that in mind.

Word of advice: if you want to use a video card, get a case with a bigger power supply (250W+ depending on the card). Check Antec's PSU calculator for more precise requirements of each video card too. Remember that by using a PSU that's less than spec for the card, you're taking some risks with reliability. Mini-ITX components often (but not always) take less power than a comparable desktop. Most of this is attributed to using notebook parts due to the small size of the case though (2.5" hard drives vs. 3.5", slimline ODD's vs. half-height desktop ODD's, LV CPU's, sometimes SODIMM's, etc.)

Also FYI: I built a system with the ASUS 880G Mini-ITX mobo in the ISK-310 with an Athlon II X4 605e and slot-load DVDRW and it's pretty nice as an HTPC. Gaming is okay, considering it's just a Radeon HD 4250 integrated - far better than anything Intel has for integrated video in mini-ITX. I'm curious to know how the new Stars GPU cores are going to perform in the upcoming Llano APU's though. Stars is what they use in the 56x0-series GPU's, so I think that's going to make for an awesome integrated PC if it keeps the same performance as the 5650/5670. Llano is set to replace the current Athlon II X2 and X4 CPU's, so the price will be very reasonable (Athlon II quad cores sell for
Score
-1
February 8, 2011 5:37:09 PM

twincloudsI like the Apex Mi-100 and similar cases. They are relatively small and cheap but can accommodate 5.25" DVD, 3.5' HD and stock fans.


I liked them too, but they are hard to find. Apex has major issues with providing a decent amount of stock to suppliers. Also, the MI-100 is extremely scratch-prone. It's a piano-black finish, but I've never seen any other material get scratches that easily. Cable management isn't exactly easy either, but overall, the outer design is esthetically pleasing with the flat mirror silver front.
Score
-1
February 8, 2011 6:45:52 PM

@Waethorn

I still would like to see what that lil' 150W ITX case is capable of from a gaming perspective. For example, in this article: link, Tom's built an i5 based micro-ATX build that during Prime95 load pulls <80W with a 2.5" HDD using integrated graphics. According to guru3d, the TDP of a HD5570 is 43W. So, it's close but could work.

There's some folks on [H]ard|Forum that are running graphic cards in the ISK: link, not completely reassuring since any idiot can attempt whatever and blow the thing up months later. I wonder if any have had any power issues. Anyways, I would love to see Tom's attempt it, and use a kill-a-watt to show what's actually being pulled by the system.

About the HD5450, according to Anadtech it has a TDP of 19.1W so it would definitely work (but gaming would suck) as long as the rest of the system is low power. No one in their right mind would put a 135W CPU in a small case like the ISK, right? AMD saying the HD5450 needs a 400W PSU is just the C.Y.A. factor. They actually say 400W minimum PSU all the way up to the HD5670 so you know it's just an arbitrary bar they set. Again... C.Y.A. :lol: 
Score
0
February 8, 2011 7:16:37 PM

rwpritchett@WaethornI still would like to see what that lil' 150W ITX case is capable of from a gaming perspective....There's some folks on [H]ard|Forum that are running graphic cards in the ISK: link, not completely reassuring since any idiot can attempt whatever and blow the thing up months later.


I think you just answered that yourself: ie. Don't be an idiot.

AMD saying the HD5450 needs a 400W PSU is just the C.Y.A. factor. They actually say 400W minimum PSU all the way up to the HD5670 so you know it's just an arbitrary bar they set. Again... C.Y.A.


It's not arbitrary - it's just a median. If you have an average processor that takes 80-100W in a desktop, plus you have 2 or 4 desktop DIMM's, motherboard, 1 or 2 desktop drives (talking about gamers here, so this is pretty standard), an optical drive or two, and you're trying to guage the rating based on a huge cross-section of both decent and shitbox power supplies on the market, that's what they come up with. If you have some shit 450W power supply, it could last you no longer than the 60 days that warranty covers it for, in that equally shitty $30 case that it came in, and it'll perform like Antec's 150W supply (maybe worse, but you get the idea). "400W" != 400W. AMD is playing it safe here, and I agree with that decision. NVIDIA does the same FWIW.

Similarly, look at Antec's figures. Antec knows more about power supplies than you (no offense - it's just the truth), and most of the idiots on forums that are pushing supplies as they do are just asking for a bitch slap when it comes to unreliable builds that blow up in their face. It's just like overclocking (and core unlocking) - you're taking a chance by going out of spec. Sure you can push benchmarks by unlocking extra performance from a CPU, but should you build a machine designed for standard production use (home or business) like this? Recommend others do it? Build a business around selling them like this? The answer is no.

If your business is hardware benchmarks, stress tests, or QA testing, then go right ahead, but don't come crying back to me when that 150W power supply fails 3 months down the road and fries something along with it. In other words: CYA!
Score
-1
February 8, 2011 7:51:19 PM

WaethornI liked them too, but they are hard to find. Apex has major issues with providing a decent amount of stock to suppliers. Also, the MI-100 is extremely scratch-prone. It's a piano-black finish, but I've never seen any other material get scratches that easily. Cable management isn't exactly easy either, but overall, the outer design is esthetically pleasing with the flat mirror silver front.

Why? I thought NewEgg have them all the time. Right now, it is $54+$10 shipping but sometimes you can get a better price or shipping charge.
They are not really scratching resistant but I don't feel they are worse than others. The only complaint I have is that they only have ventilation holes on one side. It will be much better if they have the holes on two side as the Rosewill clone, which does not have as good build quality, though.
Score
0
February 8, 2011 8:51:29 PM

twincloudsWhy? I thought NewEgg have them all the time. Right now, it is $54+$10 shipping but sometimes you can get a better price or shipping charge.


They aren't always like that. Apex frequently overestimates quantities to suppliers. Also, I'm not talking about the US. They have a US depot that they ship from to the rest of North America. Here's an example.

twincloudsThey are not really scratching resistant but I don't feel they are worse than others. The only complaint I have is that they only have ventilation holes on one side. It will be much better if they have the holes on two side as the Rosewill clone, which does not have as good build quality, though.


Ventilation is a common problem. I tried a few builds with the Zotac s775 boards with the NVIDIA 9300 chipset and the power supply gets noticeably hot (with only a Core 2 Duo). So much so, that the outside casing is as warm as I've seen on systems with PSU's with non-functioning fans. You could probably use it as a coffee warming pad. I've used the MW100 (uSFF mini-ITX) a couple of times before (literally only twice because the supplier couldn't get any more) and it's pretty nice to look at, but a pain to build, as are most this size. The MW107 has a nice look in photos, but I've never seen one first hand because Apex wouldn't ship any to Canada. I like that the LED's are unified behind a single plastic lens. Alas, both of these models only have 60W external power supplies, and only support 1 hard drive, so they aren't as good as the Antec models, unless you're building an Atom (ick!) or Fusion system. I do actually like the esthetics of the Apex units over the Antecs though.
Score
-1
February 8, 2011 9:13:00 PM

waethorn said:
If your business is hardware benchmarks, stress tests, or QA testing, then go right ahead, but don't come crying back to me when that 150W power supply fails 3 months down the road and fries something along with it. In other words: CYA!
You just described Tom's business! That's why I said want to see it ;) 

BTW, AMD's Zacate IGP is pretty much identical to a HD5450 and it would work for sure. Can't wait for Llano where the IGP is supposed to be close to HD56xx. That will definitely make ITX gaming interesting if true.

Just in case anybody missed it: CYA!!
Score
0
February 8, 2011 9:55:08 PM

rwpritchett said:
You just described Tom's business! That's why I said want to see it ;) 

BTW, AMD's Zacate IGP is pretty much identical to a HD5450 and it would work for sure. Can't wait for Llano where the IGP is supposed to be close to HD56xx. That will definitely make ITX gaming interesting if true.

Just in case anybody missed it: CYA!!


Remember: monkey see should not monkey do. :non: 

Yes the E-350 is a pretty decent little APU, but it still doesn't have the balls that an Athlon II has - that's where Llano steps in. In games that are restricted by the CPU, you'll see better performance in the Athlon II with the lower end onboard video. The 5450 isn't that much faster than a Radeon HD 4290, because the 5450 is the GPU that matches up to the 4290 in Hybrid CrossFire. I was hoping to see if the Fusion APU's support Hybrid CrossFire. It appears not though, which is a shame, since the 6450 OEM part would probably be a good match. However, the E-series APU's only have a PCI-e X4 connection. I wonder if that makes a big difference with that speed of card....I remember reading that dual X16 didn't have much of an improvement over dual X8 PCI-e slots in CrossFire, unless you were getting into extremely high resolutions. Even then, it wasn't really warranted for the price of the motherboard. I guess the only advantage an 890FX board has is 3rd or 4th PCI-e slots. How effective is that though, when you can get a dual-GPU card with faster internal links? I've always favoured value for the money over frivolously spending on the best option available - that's why the Fusion stuff interests me more than what Intel has to offer. They have nothing that is even close. AMD is succeeding in marketing a better platform over what Intel ever did. Viiv and Centrino are dead, and Sandy Bridge is a big, if not wholly expected disappointment from Intel. x86 just doesn't work for graphics. If Intel was smart, they would buy up all the shares in Imagination Technologies, thereby becoming the patent holder of the technologies. Then they could actually get better graphics tech built into their CPU's. Not only that, but they would stand to make a huge amount of money by licensing out their tech to other companies. Intel would also have a tighter leash on Apple too. Intel seems to be repeating the history of the Pentium 4/D days though: don't innovate, just increase CPU speeds. What Intel is producing now is just boring.
Score
-1
February 8, 2011 10:35:41 PM

Call me stupid but who in the right mind is going to put a monster video card in a Itx case maybe low power HD 5450 20watt or HD 5570 40watts.
Score
-1
February 8, 2011 10:50:16 PM

retirepresident said:
Call me stupid but who in the right mind is going to put a monster video card in a Itx case maybe low power HD 5450 20watt or HD 5570 40watts.
My first thought would be a LAN gamer.
Score
1
February 9, 2011 12:38:46 AM

retirepresidentCall me stupid but who in the right mind is going to put a monster video card in a Itx case maybe low power HD 5450 20watt or HD 5570 40watts.


First off, when you already have a 4250 onboard, I doubt you would put a 5450 in it. Sure, you get Hybrid Crossfire support, but no respectable gamer would choose that card. It just doesn't provide enough juice. For Joe Blow that wants a slight speed boost, maybe, but honestly, I don't see anybody buying these cards unless they have an Intel system, and even then, the system cost over an equivalent AMD goes up because you don't exactly need one of those cards if you buy a mobo with an 880G chipset mITX board (I have yet to see any 890GX boards in mITX yet - let me know if you know of any). Second, with the Llano's coming later this year, any card less than a 5600 becomes irrelevant, and somewhat of a waste of money. Now, if you were talking about Intel systems, I'd say go with NVIDIA. They are the strange bedfellows now. With NVIDIA not able to offer chipsets for Intel now after a 3-year history of defective chipsets and graphics for notebooks, and Intel totally flubbing their own chipsets and releasing the disappointing graphics on Sandy Bridge, and both issuing public spats over each others platform architecture, they're made for each other. Meanwhile, AMD has been able to function in relative solidarity without either.

rwpritchettMy first thought would be a LAN gamer.


Gamers are better suited to a micro-ATX system. At least then, you can use a full-ATX power supply and two video cards. Very few mITX cases offer the first option, and none offer the second. I like mITX, but it just isn't a good fit for gamers. People looking for a highly-integrated system in a SFF case that might have trade-offs in performance, power (PSU), and air-flow are well suited to mITX. Gamers, OTOH, want the exact opposite: a system without compromise of performance, with good air-flow in a modular chassis to allow for easy upgrades, and with enough wattage to power all of those power-hungry components. They are two different solutions for two completely different markets.

Score
-1
February 9, 2011 5:31:21 AM

In terms of elegance and function, this one scores highest on my list. It's ability to accommodate most internal accessories makes it a better all-rounder. Although the Lian-Li is bigger, this one's looks are well deserving of a place on the plasma stand.
Score
0
February 9, 2011 5:33:04 AM

The work well, but hell, they're ugly...
Score
0
February 9, 2011 6:25:46 AM

Isn't there some way of getting an estimate on how much deck height there was for CPU coolers in these things? Maybe just state a "U4" cooler could work or not . . .
Score
0
Anonymous
February 9, 2011 12:06:18 PM

is it possble to include something like Chembro ES34069 or review cases for a custom build NAS using ITX mother boards, AMD Fusion, Atom, and some low profile Intel/AMD desktop Processors. The reason i suggest the Chenbro, is bacause it can hold 4x 3.5" HDD plus an additional 2.5" SSD/HDD so we can maximize HDD utilization and making the OS Lighting fast. possibly not just a NAS but a media centre.
Score
0
February 9, 2011 12:35:01 PM

the author of this post should've looked at these:

Silverstone SG 07
DFI P55 itx board
INtel's core i series of the LGA 1156 package
ANY DDR3 dual channel ram kits
since the case supports the 5970's length - i think we're more than covered with it

HDD can be SSD or notebook sata drives
and ofcourse a slim DVD/Bluray drive
Score
0
February 9, 2011 3:10:02 PM

I won't replace my 2009 Mac mini in the foreseeable future, but that Lian-Li case is pretty sweet if you wanted to build a gaming capable HTPC.
Score
0
February 9, 2011 4:05:00 PM

Here is The Ultimate Mini PC
Low Carbon PC http://www.lowcarbonpc.com
Low power consumption teamed with great performance
Score
0
February 9, 2011 4:18:24 PM

^nice look to those

I only see prebuilt on their website though, too bad they don't sell just the cases.

There's also the Wesena line of ITX cases (store link) and the very nice but very expensive OrigenAE M10 for anyone interested in ITX.
Score
0
February 9, 2011 4:52:06 PM

Low Carbon PC will sell the bare case. They come with a power supply too. I bought one myself for a DIY project. Simply contact them and request a bare case and it will ship the same day.
Score
0
February 9, 2011 5:20:16 PM

damvcooolis it possble to include something like Chembro ES34069 or review cases for a custom build NAS using ITX mother boards, AMD Fusion, Atom, and some low profile Intel/AMD desktop Processors. The reason i suggest the Chenbro, is bacause it can hold 4x 3.5" HDD plus an additional 2.5" SSD/HDD so we can maximize HDD utilization and making the OS Lighting fast. possibly not just a NAS but a media centre.


You mean the 169. I use that case for building Atom-based storage servers with SuperMicro Atom boards. I wish there were Opteron 4100 boards in mITX though.
Score
0
February 9, 2011 7:40:14 PM

rwpritchett said:
My first thought would be a LAN gamer.


Exactly, a SG05 with the 450w psu, a core i5, and a GTX 460 would make for a very respectable Lan gaming rig that would be easy to carry to wherever your next lan party might be.
Score
0
February 10, 2011 2:06:27 AM

I found a cheap, well built mini-itx Rosewill RC-CIX-01 black steel case ($49 at Newegg) for my recent build (see: http://technocatsblog.blogspot.com/) It includes a 150W supply and fairly quiet 80mm fan. It has the mini-itx GA-H55N-USB3 motherboard paired with a Clarkdale i3 CPU with integrated GPU core. Because I don't plan to do any gaming the 150W P.S. is more than adequate, and I use the single PCI-E slot for a AverTV Duet tuner card.
Score
0
February 10, 2011 3:18:24 PM

Anyone knows where I can buy Chieftec BT-02B? I have looked around but could not find any store selling it.

BTW, there's a similar albeit a better looking case called Spires from south korean company Ripple:

Score
0
March 9, 2011 7:20:59 AM

sharroI've been buying Shuttles for the last 10 years and I feel sad for not seeing any model included in this review.They are reliable little boxes :-)All the best,Sharro
Shuttle makes separate cases?
Score
0
May 24, 2011 4:49:22 AM

What kinds of CPUs would you guys use for systems like that? Would a full i3 or i5 CPU be ok in general? Or is it best to stick with something like AMD Fusion or Intel Atom?
Score
0
May 24, 2011 4:49:56 AM

CrashmanShuttle makes separate cases?

Cases and motherboards.
Score
0
Anonymous
February 14, 2012 11:22:57 PM

I wish someone besides Alienware would release a slim mini-ITX case that could fit a full-height graphics card (using a PCIe Riser card)
Score
0
      • 1 / 2
      • 2
      • Newest
!