DTX Lives! Four Double-Slot Cases For ITX Gaming Machines

[Crashman]

The ITX form factor is great for space-saving portability. But gamers still need that extra expansion slot to support a high-end graphics card. We compare four compact cases that support double-slot cards on a tiny single-slot motherboard.

DTX Lives! Four Double-Slot Cases For ITX Gaming Machines : Read more

 

[iam2thecrowe]

the silverstone sg06b is the only one that looks any good (not great though). the rest are just plain ugly.

 

[Darkerson]

[citation][nom]iam2thecrowe[/nom]the silverstone sg06b is the only one that looks any good (not great though). the rest are just plain ugly.[/citation]
Opinion = Fact?

Anyway, I actually like Cubitek's case. Sure, it looks like it would be a pain to make changes to when doing upgrades or whatnot, but nothing is perfect. If it had a handle on top or something, Id probably use it for LAN parties and the such.

 

[hmp_goose]

Pst: Guys! Ya' flip the plexglass vent on the SG07! http://www.maximumpc.com/article/how-tos/how_build_ultimate_small-form-factor_gaming_pc?page=0,1

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]hmp_goose[/nom]Pst: Guys! Ya' flip the plexglass vent on the SG07! http://www.maximumpc.com/article/h [...] c?page=0,1[/citation]Thanks! But if you're building a new system...better still, use a single-fan GPU cooler and the foam air guide! Imagine this beast with a GTX 580!

 

[gti88]

Nice article. Very informative.

 

[Guest]

Oh wow, lets reinvent a box that holds computer parts, accomplishing the exact same thing all other computer cases before it did, only this version will suck a little bit harder.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]m84092[/nom]Oh wow, lets reinvent a box that holds computer parts, accomplishing the exact same thing all other computer cases before it did, only this version will suck a little bit harder.[/citation]So, you're saying you'd have preferred an AT desktop case roundup?

 

[Onus]

I would like to have seen the PC-Q08 tested with the blower-style cooler. I cannot imagine how that could have been omitted.
Otherwise, it was an interesting read.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]jtt283[/nom]I would like to have seen the PC-Q08 tested with the blower-style cooler. I cannot imagine how that could have been omitted. Otherwise, it was an interesting read.[/citation]The PC-Q08 didn't fail.

 

[Guest]

and the advantage of any of these over a "lunchbox" style mATX case is?

 

[K2N hater]

These rigs aren't only way better to carry around but also look awesome on the table. Wondering if the noise is bearable with a 6990 installed...

 

[stingstang]

It doesn't matter how small the case is for desktop portability. Put a handle on any ATX case and there ya go. What matters is all the cables, monitors, and speakers, keyboards, and mice you have to lug around with it. If there's a better solution for cable management then zip ties around, these cases would be more useless than they already are. Better looking, too.

 

[nukemaster]

With some tweaks you can get a Geminii S(you have to re-drill the mounting bracket on some, not others) with a low profile fan and 2 3.5 inch drives

Or 1 drive and a normal fan(take a bit of work.)

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/1414/dsc0348n.jpg

 

[pletopia]

whats the largest video card that will fit in the SG07? The website says 5970 will fit but i'm more interested to know which 6xxx radeon i'd be able to stuff in there. Have been planning on building a rig with that case since Sandy Bridge came out, only the chipset snafu has me waiting on the sidelines atm.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]pletopia[/nom]whats the largest video card that will fit in the SG07? The website says 5970 will fit but i'm more interested to know which 6xxx radeon i'd be able to stuff in there. Have been planning on building a rig with that case since Sandy Bridge came out, only the chipset snafu has me waiting on the sidelines atm.[/citation]6970 and GTX 580 both fit, the dimensions are on Page 1!

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]nukemaster[/nom]With some tweaks you can get a Geminii S(you have to re-drill the mounting bracket on some, not others) with a low profile fan and 2 3.5 inch drives Or 1 drive and a normal fan(take a bit of work.)http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/1414/dsc0348n.jpg[/citation]That really depends on two other things that have nothing to do with height:
1.) The motherboard used (as well as most other LGA 1155 boards) only has room for a 100mm cooler. For a 120mm cooler to fit, it has to be 10mm off-center, away from the graphics cards.
2.) Additional offset (more than 10mm) is required for any heat pipes that protrude from the "short" side.

Tom's Hardware should probably do a cooler roundup to figure out which low-profile designs actually fit this type of motherboard without blocking off the graphics card slot.

 

[nukemaster]

That really depends on two other things that have nothing to do with height:
1.) The motherboard used (as well as most other LGA 1155 boards) only has room for a 100mm cooler. For a 120mm cooler to fit, it has to be 10mm off-center, away from the graphics cards.
2.) Additional offset (more than 10mm) is required for any heat pipes that protrude from the "short" side.

Tom's Hardware should probably do a cooler roundup to figure out which low-profile designs actually fit this type of motherboard without blocking off the graphics card slot.

Its an H55 board(H55N USB3), so same spacing as yours(or damn close)

AXP 140 fits without mods(unless there are components on the back of the board that get in the way)
Samuel 17 fits

It is said that the Shuriken(not the big shuriken) fits as well.

Or my first cooler for my MCE system. The stock Core2 cooler with bolts/nuts and rubber spacers.
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/3787/dsc0225zv.jpg

I do think you should do a review for heatsinks that fit in SFF cases....

 

[ta152h]

The point about BTX is ill-informed. There were actually a LOT of BTX form factors sold; massive amounts. They were often sold by makes like Dell. So, it wasn't a failed standard at all, it just never caught on in the hobbyist market.

 

[Onus]

[citation][nom]Crashman[/nom]The PC-Q08 didn't fail.[/citation]
True, but seeing how much better it was might help people decide how much overclocking they can do.
I have a MSI GTX460 "Cyclone" installed in mine. It exhausts none of its heat, which I think limits how well the CPU can be cooled.
Another point to make is that the PSU can be mounted either way in the PC-Q08, either drawing its own air through the side vent, or helping to cool the CPU by pulling its air from inside the case.

 

[dainsane1]

i do like the lian-li cases. good to see they stack up well. so surprised to see the tiny one win. i jammed a q8200 and a gtx460 into a lian-li PC-Q07B. it took some hacking of the case and just fit the video card. had to add 4x 40mm fans at the bottom and a blower at the top. the thing screams when the fans are at full speed. soon as i can get hold of a milling machine the whole case will become part of the water cooling system.

 

[cangelini]

[citation][nom]TA152H[/nom]The point about BTX is ill-informed. There were actually a LOT of BTX form factors sold; massive amounts. They were often sold by makes like Dell. So, it wasn't a failed standard at all, it just never caught on in the hobbyist market.[/citation]

If BTX sold well because a lot of hot Pentium 4s needed it, it sold well out of necessity, and that doesn't make it any more relevant today, right? ;-)

 

[rohitbaran]

Nice article. I would pick the Lian Li. Seems the jack of all trades.

 

[user 18]

[citation][nom]stingstang[/nom]It doesn't matter how small the case is for desktop portability. Put a handle on any ATX case and there ya go. What matters is all the cables, monitors, and speakers, keyboards, and mice you have to lug around with it. If there's a better solution for cable management then zip ties around, these cases would be more useless than they already are. Better looking, too.[/citation]

I don't think my ATX system could be carried with just a handle. My case alone probably weighs more than any of those four builds!

 

[cabin2n]

You didn't include a great DTX case. Fractal Design's Array R2: http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=42

Doesn't have a 5.25 slot but who uses cds since digital download games.