What is SFF?

Questors

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Original poster
Oct 28, 2018
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I believe most people in the computer related world get the general idea of SFF. It's small.

I have read it's about size range. I have read it's about liters. Then again, I have also read shape has a hand in defining SFF. Sh

Is there a consensus as to what determines SFF cases?
 
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Windfall

Shrink Ray Wielder
SFFn Staff
Nov 14, 2017
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I believe most people in the computer related world get the general idea of SFF. It's small.

I have read it's about size range. I have read it's about liters. Then again, I have also read shape has a hand in defining SFF. Sh

Is there a consensus as to what determines SFF cases?

The general consensus here is that anything less than 20L in volume is SFF.
(Of course, Cerebrus X is a exception, but it's small for an ATX case, in fact smaller than a lot of mainstream MATX and ITX cases)

Shape has nothing to do with it.
 
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gotcha43

Average Stuffer
Dec 10, 2018
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Under 20litre,
No waste of space,
Efficient.

Things you can stuff in 5litre, that you put in a 18L ceberus instead is waste of space, I wouldn‘t call that SFF.
 

Windfall

Shrink Ray Wielder
SFFn Staff
Nov 14, 2017
2,117
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Under 20litre,
No waste of space,
Efficient.

Things you can stuff in 5litre, that you put in a 18L ceberus instead is waste of space, I wouldn‘t call that SFF.

You're forgetting that some hardware, like threadripper, has no ITX compatibility.

Yes, the Cerebrus is big, but for some, It's the only SFF option. I would call anything under 5L USFF (ultra small form factor) and anything under 2L SDUSFF (super-duper ultra small form factor)
 

confusis

John Morrison. Founder and Team Leader of SFF.N
SFF Network
SFF Workshop
SFFn Staff
Jun 19, 2015
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sff.network
SmallFormFactor.net officially defined SFF as <20L. However it's a passionate subject for some, with component density being a major factor. The topic comes up time and time again with the same arguments :)


Intel defined it as <19L, Silverstone has defined it as <23L, etc.
 

Windfall

Shrink Ray Wielder
SFFn Staff
Nov 14, 2017
2,117
1,582
SmallFormFactor.net officially defined SFF as <20L. However it's a passionate subject for some, with component density being a major factor. The topic comes up time and time again with the same arguments :)


Intel defined it as <19L, Silverstone has defined it as <23L, etc.

Well, I defined under 2L as SDUSFF (Super-Duper-Ultra Small Form Factor).

So now my word is law.

(PS RPi Zero would be ASSCMCSTISFF, or "Amazing Super Small And Compact Micro Computing System That Is Small Form Factor")
 
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FoskcoRS5

Designated LMG
Jan 31, 2017
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A liter is a 3D measure of volume. It's actually a liquid measurement.

There are no "square liters" like there are square meters.

There is no such thing as 2D volume. Volume is space taken up by an object, or displacement.
Woah, super cereal over here.

It’s called sarcasm my dude.

Hence why I put a question mark, rather than matter of factly stating it as an actual answer.

Edit: I better add a comma in that last sentence, before windfall has a conniption fit over a run on sentence.
 

Windfall

Shrink Ray Wielder
SFFn Staff
Nov 14, 2017
2,117
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Woah, super cereal over here.

It’s called sarcasm my dude.

Hence why I put a question mark, rather than matter of factly stating it as an actual answer.

Edit: I better add a comma in that last sentence, before windfall has a conniption fit over a run on sentence.

Okay, apologies.

I had no way of knowing that was sarcasm.

And I really don't care if you don't use proper punctuation and or grammar, as it's no real concern of mine.

With all due respect, I'm just going to ignore you now, unless you have real input in a discussion.
I love this forum, and I don't want to start a huge flame war/fight, which I have done twice now since I've joined.

I don't want this to be number 3.
I don't want there ever to be a number 3.
 
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Questors

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Original poster
Oct 28, 2018
122
82
Woah guys n gals. I was joking.

A little lighthearted humor. Like square quarts. :D;)
 

Damascus

Master of Cramming
Feb 27, 2018
550
387
20L is the commonly accepted max, though density and space efficiency also have a big impact on whether you can consider something small. Using myself as an example, I no longer consider cases above 7L to be maximum sff, as I can accomplish the same amount of performance (and about 75% of the cooling) using a 5-6.5L case as is possible with a 10-15L.

So yeah, there is a massive variation from person to person, and the hardware you're using will have an impact on how the build is viewed - a 2990wx + 2 2080 ti in 20L is quite small, but an i5 8400 + 1060 in 14L is massively oversized in comparison to what is possible