A stylish Slim Mini-ITX case w/ support for full-size GPU?

[atek3]

mini-itx mobo selection has gotten pretty good
cases, on the other hand, there are two popular form factors
slim boxes and "cubes"
slim boxes can't fit a full-size graphics card
"cubes" can, but are very bulky

The Alienware X51 has the right idea. Slim chassis, mini-itx mobo, 90 degree riser card to accommodate a PCIe card.

I've seen one "utilitarian" case with the layout I'm talking about but had no PSU, requiring a PicoPSU. 160W is too low a power envelope for a gaming machine.

Alienware crammed 330W into a brick, I know 300W FlexATX PSU's exist.

Does the case I want exist? Or do I have to buy an X51 and rip the guts out of it.

(For the specs I'm thinking Z77 Mini-ITX mobo, Core i3-3240 CPU, GeForce GTX 660 as the base)

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

If you want a PROPER GAMING machine....

You get a BIG case , which will fit BIG graphics cards and contain LOTS of fans and air....

Or you are asking for trouble....

My company builds Custom built gamers machines....we build NOTHING smaller than a server tower...

All the best Brett

 

[alterleaf]

Personally for mini ITX i've been eyeing the Silverstone SG08 really hard lately. If USB 3.0 slots for future-proofing isn't your thing then the SG07 is cool too.

I can't say about the cases on Lian-Li's end as I haven't looked too much into it as I like the shape/size of the SG07/08 more.

But what that guy above said regarding needing a bigger case is true if you plan on shoving it into some cabinet or compartment.

 

[chris2341]

Just like brett said, if you plan on gaming avoid an mini itx rig. Look at something like the HAF912 or 912 Advanced if you want USB 3.0 or whatever case you like. You can get a miniATX mother board like the asus rampage and have a full and proper gaming setup that way.

 

[atek3]

When I want to game "for real" have a monster overclocked i7-930/ 5850x2 in a Antec 300.

I want something much smaller and lower powered for things like LAN parties. The ability to play crysis at 2560x1600 is not important to me, hence the willingness to compromise on performance.

(Yes I realize that a slim mini-ITX box will require some tweaking on the cooling side even with "mid-range" parts)

Still though, I'm pretty flexible, I could go down to a T-series CPU and shave 30W or a GTX 650 Ti and improve the thermals.

 

[Tanax]

I'm looking for something exactly like you. Except I would want a more high-end CPU aswell as a GTX 650 Ti/670/680 in it.
I found this company called Viako, they make such stylish cases and they're Mini-ITX. Unfortunately however, I don't think they fit a graphics card in them :/

http://viako.com/viako/product_view.asp?idx=62

 

[atek3]

Tanax, absent some crazy cooling solution, i think it would be hard to cram so much powah into a small case, not to mention the difficulty of finding an adequate PSU.

Oh well, back to the drawing board.

 

[jesh4622]

I thought it would be pretty neat to have a smaller gaming rig as well, about a year ago. I ended up trying a Silverstone GD-04. Yes, it's a micro atx case. (Bigger than what you've been looking at)
Without modifying fan layouts, let me tell you, your temps will be uncomfortably high with gaming class components. The main cause is the GPU. It can fit a full size card comfortably, but doing so blocks airflow almost completely.
To me, it's not worth the effort, and am3+ boards don't come in that size. I'm now looking to pawn the thing off for 30 bucks and move back into a mid tower.

 

[atek3]

Well, looks like the optimal action right now is to wait.

Lazzer408 is on the case:
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2583656
and is building a company around it:
http://www.titanitx.com/

Shuttle is aware of the demand for this product and could be in the process of cooking something up.

 

[matta85]

Hi Guys,

I'm in the process of building my self a htpc/gaming pc and came over this thread. Fitting a mid/high end gpu into a slim itx case would be very difficult without some modification. It may also be difficult to get this running ok temps.

I've just read an article about a new case from CoolerMaster. It's called Elite 120 Advanced. It is a "cube" but it will actually fit a full sixe atx psu and can house a GTX690. It is stated that it will have a good airflow as well. It will be available in the end of july. So i'm going to wait and read reviews of this before I make up mind.

CM Elite 120 Advanced is not a very "sexy" case but it is estimated to be priced fairly low so it might worth a try..

Just my little tip of the day

 

[Rack1600]

This is also what I am looking for.

I would love to have a case like the new Streacom ones, but without an optical drive, but instead a full sized Gfx and SFX PSU. The new mSATA port on motherboards eliminates all need for external drives too.

I found that Silverstone do a 500W SFX PSU which is a lot smaller than ATX - which would be perfect for this. 12x10x6cm, compared with an ATX PSU at 16x16x10cm! It's tiny.

I totally disagree that thermals are an issue. Newer CPUs and Gfx have really gotten a lot better with power. New 35W CPU and the latest 7-series AMD (eg 7850) combine for a peak load of less than 200W. My Quad-core 775 CPU alone in my SG01 uses over 100W, and I'm running a HD4850 (heat monster) and 3 old-style HDDs and a large Optical drive. GPU vents directly outside, as does the CPU. No problems.

However I want something more minimal.

Looked at the CM Elite 120, it is priced awesome, but is too big/chunky. I want a Streacom F1C Evo style case.

 

[Rack1600]

By the way, the SG05 seems to be the smallest case I can find that takes standard components (well, SFX PSU)
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=210&area=en

It's 17.6 x 22.6 x 27.6 cm - or approximately 11L in volume. Plus it supports 120mm fan.
My current case SG01 is
21.2 x 26.3 x 39.3 - or 21L - almost double the size. So I am sold on this one.
SG05 + Zotac Z77 + i3 + 7850 + Samsung S830 256GB SSD= small powerhouse. 😀