Are laptops SFF?

[el01]

Hello all!

I understand from my usage here that most cases under 20L are considered SFF, and that some cases above 20 liters that fit a ton of hardware count as SFF, but what about laptops? They technically do have a volume below 20L and are quite compact, but they fit in a different category when compared to desktops (what we see here).

Spoiler: Insignificant Rambles

It's kinda interesting to see some "SFF" laptops such as the ThinkPad X280, which has similar performance to any other ThinkPad with an Intel 8th Generation U-series i5/i7 while packing a 12.5" screen size, compared to the behemoth Costco Dell laptops with 15.6" screens and roughly the same performance. Performance per liter is interesting in the laptop realm. Somewhat similar (IMO) to SFF vs large desktops.

This hopefully is a small and insignificant question that won't take too much time out of your day.


Thanks!
-el01

 

[confusis]

They are, technically, but when we refer to SFF, we are generally referring to desktop systems, home theatre PCs or servers.

Tablets, phones and their ilk could also be classified as SFF, if we applied the pure volume rule to them - but the general subject matter on SFF Network and Forum are focused on desktops, and by extension, building your own, something that is rather difficult to do with laptops, tablets or phones.

 

[loader963]

You may well start a fight with a few peeps around here saying that cases over 20 liters are sff just because “They fit a ton of hardware”

 

[BirdofPrey]

By the strictest definition they are due to their size, but they have advantages over the off the shelf desktops that the moniker is usually reserved for.
Since many of the parts are custom designed for a specific model line its much easier to achieve a specific size through the elimination of bulky connectors and by making all the parts exactly the size and shape to fit together perfectly. Not to mention, the fact they are proprietary puts them in a different category from desktop PCs enthusiasts like to tinker with.

I'm not sure I'd classify tablet and phones the same way, though, as they have a different use case, though some tablets may have a bit of crossover if they are really high spec and have a keyboard.

You may well start a fight with a few peeps around here saying that cases over 20 liters are sff just because “They fit a ton of hardware”

I think the biggest argument here would probably be if you should count the volume of an external power brick

 

[el01]

They are, technically, but when we refer to SFF, we are generally referring to desktop systems, home theatre PCs or servers.

Tablets, phones and their ilk could also be classified as SFF, if we applied the pure volume rule to them - but the general subject matter on SFF Network and Forum are focused on desktops, and by extension, building your own, something that is rather difficult to do with laptops, tablets or phones.

So by my understanding, laptops are semi-off-topic for SFF Forum, and my future postings on laptops should be relegated to Off-topic. Correct?

 

[el01]

You may well start a fight with a few peeps around here saying that cases over 20 liters are sff just because “They fit a ton of hardware”

Yeah, throw around a few R9 295x2s, a billion hard drives, and two power supplies. Heck, go full Corsair 1000D!

Seriously though, I consider cases like the Meshify C/Define C/Define R6 from Fractal Design "semi-SFF". They are small for what hardware they fit, and make use of the space relatively well. The Define R6 may be 58 Liters, but that's including space for 9 hard drives along with an ATX system. The Define C and Meshify C are basically the minimum size that an ATX case with ATX components can be to fully support the majority of graphics cards, power supplies, motherboards, etc, etc.