Enclosure Budget SFF Build - Jonsbo C2 vs. SG13, or Chinese?

[iCherishMeli]

Hello SFF Community.

Title.

Interested in building a budget ITX desktop (Around $1,000).

I've been looking at the Jonsbo C2 and the SG13 and having a hard time deciding between both. Also saw a post about Chinese cases but I don't have that much information on Taobao.

Thanks!

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

What is the goal of the build and what kind of hardware are you trying to put inside this build?

 

[iCherishMeli]

Gaming at 1080p (Not too intensive, Gears of War 4 and Overwatch), light programming. 480 if I end up going with the SG13 or 960/970 mini if Jonsbo C2.

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

The Jonsbo C2 can get a bit warm although one of the members here modified theirs to reduce the heat build-up. The SG13 will definitely have better cooling in general however.

You can check out some Taobao cases - do you have requirements for size, number of drives supported? I can help give you a list of cases to look at.

 

[iCherishMeli]

I went to Taobao but couldn't get it to show the prices and such in english. That would be awesome!

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

Taobao has an international site but i think it's also in English. Are you looking for USD prices or another currency?

 

[iCherishMeli]

Weird, I couldn't seem to find an English translation for Taobao, and yes in USD.

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

Are you using World.taobao.com? - I think it'll still show in Chinese because most of the sellers are only posting in Chinese. One option is to use Google Translate on chrome, it's not super accurate but it works well enough.

One issue with Taobao is, the sellers are often very stupid. Here they expect you to contact them through the taobao chat service, and if you don't you have no idea what you will actually receive. I've had several sellers I thought tried to stiff me but I found they basically think if you don't contact them directly it means you don't care what you get so they'll just send you anything.

That said, many "good" sellers will contact YOU when you order something to confirm the order. If you don't speak Chinese this can be difficult but I have found some of the boutique sellers speak good or at least decent english. I strongly suggest you check out Sunmilo as I feel they have good service, are open and honest with you about buying stuff. They'll give you the date they will ship your case and they ship it on that date.

https://sunmilo.taobao.com/

prices are around $110-$170 for Sunmilo cases

I think they speak English - I might be wrong but if you are interested in their cases and have some trouble just let me know and I can try to help.

I found another case that was really cool called "Arcube" - I tried to order in January but the seller cancelled the order, seems he can't make the case very fast and has a very long backlog. The seller for this one does speak english.

https://shop131278021.taobao.com/sh...a230r.1.14.5.JCokBm&user_number_id=2657403360


Both of those cases are custom builds and you need to specify what features you want. Taobao doesnt really allow them to show what they offer in terms of features so it's best to ask them what they can do and what options they have. If you tell them what you're building they'll usually give advice and suggestions.

You could also try the Primo P115, which I have. It's about $75 and high quality. I put a review on my website: http://robspctech.com

I'll give you some links for other Taobao cases which I found were very cool:
Hauteware Black Angel : https://world.taobao.com/item/39186030201.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.4aeOEy#detail
Unicorn: https://world.taobao.com/item/523845809710.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.kXqLKg#detail
SKTC Q1 - (basically a Raijintek clone) - https://world.taobao.com/item/522605381425.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.kXqLKg#detail

 

[iCherishMeli]

Yup, using World.Taobao.com, google translate has been some help but not much.

Definitely will check out your reviews, it seems that ordering from Taobao will be really tough if I don't really understand Chinese, will check to see how these cases fit the budget.

Thanks a lot!

 

[iCherishMeli]

The Primo P115 looks like a nice case but looks fairly large in your photos, how is it performing now with heat and such? That could be a case in the running against the SG13 and Jonsbo C2 depending on how the 480 performs.

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

Heat is ok, but not great. For your needs i think it's good enough. It has a single 120mm intake and dual 80mm exhaust. However if you use the 3.5 drive slot, you will use one of those 80mm fans unless you can get some slim ones from Arctic or another brand. You will also need an SFX power supply for the Primo P115. SFX-L and ATX won't fit. Size is not huge, it's deeper than the Jonsbo C2 but shorter. It's slightly bigger overall - maybe 15-20% bigger. It's also better build quality than the C2.

 

[iCherishMeli]

Ah I see,how was the buying process for the Primo P115? The pictures from Taobao and your review looks somewhat different, what are the dimensions of the Primo P115?

https://world.taobao.com/item/522768712402.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a1z3o.7695460.0.0.idLsEP

I've been looking at this post and it seems to be a pretty good price of $35-$80.

 

[superpapu]

There are any page in Europe to buy The primo 115 or the summilo? there are any other cases similar?

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

the Primo P115 has several versions, A/B/C/EA - I have the EA which is aluminum panels, the others I think are plastic or stamped steel - not positive on that though. I think the EA is a good investment if you have the budget, it's high quality - comparable with Silverstone or Phanteks.

It's 345mm deep, 165mm wide, 280mm tall. You can fit up to 130mm CPU cooler so some 120mm towers wont fit.

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

I think I saw this on a French website, I will look around and see what I can find.

edit: couldn't find on any French retailers but I found a local Chengdu seller that I have purchased from on Taobao on another website using USD pricing, but the price was much higher. I don't want to deter you from using Taobao, just helps to know what to expect. It's not anymore dangerous than Ebay I feel, it's just some.....cultural differences.

 

[iCherishMeli]

I'll look at it, can you link the "EA" one? How much does it cost?

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.70.gY9FwY&id=521991970112&ns=1&abbucket=18#detail

This is the seller I bought mine from, they're local to Chengdu. It's $71 + shipping based on the exchange rate (6.6rmb > 1 USD)

 

[Kooki]

That ARCUBE and that Acrylic case look really gorgeous. I wonder how resilient the used acrylic actually is.
Also, iCherishMeli, please share your experience on Taobao once you get your product from there (if you do so).

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

The acrylic one seems to be ok. I saw some similar cases on Taobao for half the price but many people said the quality wasn't nearly as good as the Hauteware Black Angel, so I'm guessing it's fairly high quality.