Best 5L or less case with 42mm+ cpu cooler clearance

Damascus

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Feb 27, 2018
550
387
Well, I caught the sfx bug and 7L just wasn't enough anymore. I'm looking for a chassis in the 4-5L range with support for an internal power supply (or multiple PSU's) with a total wattage of around 400w to support a 6950x + 1070/1080. HDplex, flex atx ot whatever else, as long as its internal I don't care

I'm fine with ordering from taobao, random individuals or even *gasp* buying plans and some local 3d printers time if need be! If this doesn't bear fruit I'll be trying my hand at case design but I'm sure there's something out there that'll blow me away already. Budget is about $200 USD, though I'm pretty loose with that fir the right chassis
 

br3nd0

Airflow Optimizer
Sep 29, 2016
307
297
NFC S4M or Modivio xCase S.

CustomMod also do a Slim 3.7L case.

S4M is right on the 5L mark, xCase S is 5.2L but has extra width to allow for 60mm fans for extra airflow.

$200 will cover either of the first 2, CustomMod case ordering currently not available, looks to be temporary though so orders may open again soon, can't see price on this though.
 
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Damascus

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Feb 27, 2018
550
387
NFC S4M or Modivio xCase S.

CustomMod also do a Slim 3.7L case.

S4M is right on the 5L mark, xCase S is 5.2L but has extra width to allow for 60mm fans for extra airflow.

$200 will cover either of the first 2, CustomMod case ordering currently not available, looks to be temporary though so orders may open again soon, can't see price on this though.
The modivo is interesting, though almost all of these guys unfortunately fail my #1 criteria - internal power supply. The S4m was actually my first pick, and can use a meanwell 200w + hdplex 160w internally but I'm not into the current color scheme.
 

Damascus

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Feb 27, 2018
550
387
I like the ZS-A4M, only issue is that my dynatron t318 is too tall at ~42mm. Maybe if I shave a couple mm off of the heatsink ot get a 10mm thick fan it could work
 

Damascus

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Feb 27, 2018
550
387
I've been strongly considering the ZS-A4M or ZS-A4DC, I think I can handle the cpu cooling end of things but I'm worried about the power situation - do you think the DC could fit a gigabyte mini/aero itx and maybe an hdplex 400 in there? Preferably I'd use a meanwell 200w + my hdplex 160, not sure if that will fit though
 

jaagdijot

Trash Compacter
Jan 29, 2018
52
10
I've been strongly considering the ZS-A4M or ZS-A4DC, I think I can handle the cpu cooling end of things but I'm worried about the power situation - do you think the DC could fit a gigabyte mini/aero itx and maybe an hdplex 400 in there? Preferably I'd use a meanwell 200w + my hdplex 160, not sure if that will fit though

I would consider the CCD MI-6, it’s slightly larger than what we are discussing but it is made in the USA, has good cooling options, and can accommodate SFX PSUs.

Also, if you click on the taobao link the zs-a4m shows it can fit a 1u/flex PSU. Quite a few solid 1u/flex PSU options out there and the fan can easily be swapped for something quieter from Noctua.

Link:
https://world.taobao.com/item/555921498715.htm?spm=a211ha.10565794.0.0.f10d3f86u7BVgq
 

Damascus

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Feb 27, 2018
550
387
I would consider the CCD MI-6, it’s slightly larger than what we are discussing but it is made in the USA, has good cooling options, and can accommodate SFX PSUs.

Also, if you click on the taobao link the zs-a4m shows it can fit a 1u/flex PSU. Quite a few solid 1u/flex PSU options out there and the fan can easily be swapped for something quieter from Noctua.

Link:
https://world.taobao.com/item/555921498715.htm?spm=a211ha.10565794.0.0.f10d3f86u7BVgq
The MI-6 is a bit too big, the largest case I'm willing to work in is the s4m. And I was referring to the ZS-A4DC, the ZS-A4M's smaller 3.9L brother. I'm quite aware of what the A4M is capable of.

https://world.taobao.com/item/563218619941.htm
 

Damascus

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Feb 27, 2018
550
387
You will need room for a flex psu at least to support 400W. Does that case have room for a flex atx psu?
The ZS-A4M has a flex-atx unit at the bottom, the ZS-A4DC uses either a low profile GPU and flex-atx unit or an external brick with a full sized GPU.

It's possible to run an hdplex 160 (CPU) and meanwell 200w (GPU) setup as well, just not sure if I can swing it
 

jaagdijot

Trash Compacter
Jan 29, 2018
52
10
The MI-6 is a bit too big, the largest case I'm willing to work in is the s4m. And I was referring to the ZS-A4DC, the ZS-A4M's smaller 3.9L brother. I'm quite aware of what the A4M is capable of.

https://world.taobao.com/item/563218619941.htm

My bad! I misread your post and didn't see that you are leaning towards the ZS-A4DC. I am not actually positive you will be able to fit any of the DC solutions you are thinking of in that case with a GTX 1070/1080 ITX variant.

Also, I wouldn't feel quite safe running 6950X/1080 on just 400W unless you aren't going to be pushing the system very hard and or are thinking to underclock/undervolt.

If you're set on not using a 1U/Flex PSU and going as small as possible, I'd probably looking into getting something from Gury and his higher output g-unique variants. These units are quite compact and he has some modded bricks that can do 500W or so.