Short Length ATX Cases

[dahyippur]

Hello, I'm looking for a case with average width but really short from front to back (as long as it can fit most video cards) can be any height. Please let me know if you have seen anything, somebody has to make a case thats 11-14" long

 

[MauveCloud]

I think this case meets your requirements:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147123

 

[ssddx]

well...

atx motherboard is 12x9.6
atx power supply is 5.5
optical drive is 9
just picked a random good video card (gtx770 2 fan) length was 10.5 (3fan is 11.5)

finding a full sized atx case for those dimensions is going to be rough. keep in mind that you still need to add depth due to fans front and rear (about 1 inch each) as well as for the structural frame front and rear and any sort of faceplate. even disregarding the video card if you take your 9.6 inch motherboard and add in 2 inches for fans and then another inch and a half for structure you still have 12.5 inches and that provides zero room inside for shifting things around which isnt going to happen. add another two inches and your'e up around 14.5/15 mark which is where i said you should be thinking of at minimum. with graphic cards at 10.5 that same number jumps up to about 15.5/16 at least which is why cases are as big as they are.


i would suggest looking into a mini-itx or micro-atx case and even then some of the depths are larger than what you would like. if a 15" depth is fine with you then i think that number might be doable at least for m-itx/m-atx. the bitfenix phenom is about that depth and i've seen some other cases that depth as well.

 

[dahyippur]

It is nice and short, but only for microATX =[

 

[ssddx]

@mauve

thats a m-atx case

 

[MauveCloud]

I'm aware the one I suggested is micro-atx, but I don't think you'll find a standard width case that short for full atx - as ssddx said, an atx mobo is 9.6 inches deep. A 3.5 inch hdd is 5.75 inches long. Even if it's laid out so that the 5.25 inch drives don't have to clear the motherboard, that's still 15.35 inches of depth. There are some cases that mount the 3.5 inch drives sideways, but the cages for those tend to limit the video card length, and I'm not sure they still qualify as "standard width".

 

[dahyippur]

Will the average video card fit in a microITX tower? If not maybe i should start looking at some of the microATX cases, even then the motherboard is the same width. The one MauveCloud linked certainly meets the big length requirement but it would be nice to have an intake in the front.

 

[MauveCloud]

Do you mean micro atx or mini-itx? micro atx can vary from 9.6x9.6 inches down to 6.75x6.75 inches (the low end is 1 mm wider and deeper than mini-itx). Video card maximum length varies between cases, so you generally have to look at the manufacturer's site for that detail, or guesstimate based on pictures of the interior (which will show whether there are things like non-removable hdd cages that could limit gpu length). The only cases that would make that mostly unnecessary are EATX full tower cases. Even mini-itx cases, like the BitFenix Prodigy or the Cooler Master Elite 130, are often deeper than 14 inches, and they're also a bit wider than most atx cases. A SilverStone SG05 or SG06 case is 10.8 inches deep, but limits you to 10 inches or less for video card length (along with several other restrictions like a slim optical drive and an SFX psu).

 

[ssddx]

video card length depends on the m-itx or m-atx case you pick out. some accept rather long cards while some accept shorter cards. you need to plan your hardware around your requirement of being short in depth.

why do you require such a short depth anyways?

 

[dahyippur]

I'm trying to build this case into a crash cart or mobile desk while keeping the parts as inexpensive/universal as possible so I'm trying to avoid using miniature components like the ones Mauve mentioned. If the case is too long front to back then the whole cart will be longer than I want it, otherwise the case would hang out the back and look kind of ugly. The other dimensions are not as important.

 

[MauveCloud]

If you're willing to consider a wider case, how about the Thermaltake Mozart TX:
http://pcplanetsystems.com/pcp/magento/thermaltake-mozart-tx-ve1000bws-w-window-no-ps-cube-tower-gaming-case-black.html?___store=default
It's 330 mm (13.0 in) wide, 360 mm (14.2 in) deep, and 360 mm (28.3 in) tall.

 

[ssddx]

i had to google crash cart... i see what you mean now.

actually micro-atx prices arent all that bad and are pretty widespread. micro-itx however tends to be a more expensive platform.

did a little more searching around

this case is expensive but is only 11 inches deep (micro atx though). its also fanless which might be a big con
http://www.quietpc.com/nof-cs-70

this case is only 13 inches deep (micro atx) and has a fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163222

you might be able to get your hands on an atx motherboard htpc case with the right sort of fan layouts and turn it on its side and use it like a tower. many of them arent quite as deep (they stack components very tightly in the case). while you might be more limited in terms of graphics cards and components to pick from its shallow. heres an example
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352028
http://www.silentpcreview.com/silverstone-gd05

another rather shallow micro atx case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163176&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10487648&PID=1800524&SID=

the only cases i found which were reasonably shallow were media center/htpc cases for the atx form factor and of them there are not many which fit the bill. they would have to be turned sideways though and often have feet so it might look strange. they also might not fit all the components you are looking for.

if you are okay with going to m-atx (which is still not a bad choice and isnt super expensive like m-itx is) then you have a few more options to go with.

 

[dahyippur]

Well it looks like the rosewill u3, u2, and silverstone fortress are my best options so far. Its almost impossible to find anything under 13" start looking for something that short with a normal psu, odd, or a decent fan setup and there is just nothing available.

 

[dahyippur]

honorable mention: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA3KX1B03160