Downsizing my mATX rig – Need advice

[notthebee]

Hello everyone,

I have an mATX rig that I would like to downsize. It's built around Ryzen 2600 and XFX Radeon 5700 DD.
The main problem is the availability of premium ITX cases. So far I'm considering three options:

1. Streacom DA2 (easily available in Germany, but relatively poor airflow and no support for bottom intake fans)
2. NCase M1 (I can source the v4 locally, but it's missing quite a lot of optimizations introduced in v6)
3. Velka 3 (Can get my hands on the silver version locally, but limited CPU cooling and GPU compatibility + noise).

I find all three of these cases aesthetically pleasing enough, but my main consideration is noise. I don't plan to overclock or upgrade to 3950x down the line, but I might get 3600x for better efficiency and undervolting. Portability is also not a priority, I would just like something sub 20 liter that doesn't take too much space on my desk. The smaller the better.

So my questions are:
1. It's obvious that if I go with Velka 3, I'll have to sell my RX 5700 and get something smaller, but is it necessary in case of DA2 and M1? I know that Navi cards are not as good in terms of power efficiency and heat as RTX cards, but would it be possible to get acceptable acoustic and thermal performance in a small case? It's currently watercooled by a 240mm AIO and two NF-A12x25 fans, but it would probably be possible to deshroud it and replace stock fans with two slim 92mm Noctua fans if I go with NCase M1.
2. Are there other case options at the similar price point that would deliver better results in terms of acoustic perfoemance and size?

Any suggestions and recommendations are welcome.

 

[nicocm9]

Have you thought about the Lian Li TU150, I know it is 23 litres but you would get to keep the card and it has way better cooling for GPU as far as I am concerned

 

[Mopar63]

I will second the TU150. I wanted to build a travel rig, something to take to my father-in-laws. While there are smaller cases the TU150 is super easy to transport with a GREAT handle system built in. I have mine with a Ryzen 1700 and a Scythe Big Shuriken 3 for the cooler as well as a Sapphire Pulse 5700 for the GPU. The system is cool and quiet. I have the an intake in the front and the bottom with an exhaust in the back and replace the CPU cooler with a full sized card. I run the case fans at a set 45% speed to keep them quiet and the cooler fan in silent mode in the BIOS.

Under full gaming load, a couple of hour RDR2 run, the CPU was at 60C and the GPU at 70C.

Only have one regret, wish I had bout the none glass model. This rig is not for show, it is to give me a good travel system to game when I am away from home. I feel like the solid panel would have been a bit more durable.

 

[lowkey]

Well, in Germany the DA2 was on sale last week and i didnt bought one. There is place for 3x radiators. It was on my wishlist next to the Ncase M1. The Ncase is about 205 Euro at the moment (due to the cheap dollar).
The new 3090 is about 32cm long, so you have to go for some case with 3x PCI-E Slot and 32cm lenght. The upcoming Dan C4 and the coolermaster Masterbox is prepared for more space. IMO every new project/case is getting bigger for the new highend hardware like 3950x and 3090 with watercooling (2x240mm).

The velka 3 needs a special PSU and is very limited in other ways. Its more like a mini office pc with Leage of Legends ambitions.

In the end i will buy some Ncase M1 because of the size, possibilities, no PCI-E Riser 4.0 Problem, enough space for water cooling and highend hardware. The TU150 is steel and GLAS. This will be heavy. Its big and the ssf guys will notice the unused space in this case. Every Lian Li has unused space. On the other hand its cheap.

 

[murtoz]

Or you could consider the sliger cerberus. Barely any difference in desk footprint compared to NCase M1:

Cerberus	319x172mm	548cm2
NCase M1	338x160mm	540cm2

Advantage is it will fit not just your gpu but also your matx board, saving you the cost of a new motherboard. As for noise, I run mine on aircooling with a 9700K with mild OC and a 1060 super. In idle I cannot hear if it is on or not when sitting right next to it. Under load there is a mild whoosing of air.
For a visual size comparison of the various SFF cases have a look at this.

 

[devolv]

3. Velka 3 (Can get my hands on the silver version locally, but limited CPU cooling and GPU compatibility + noise).

Just to de-myth some of the Velka 3 assumptions. Noise is not so much a factor, I have the Enhance 7660B Flex power supply which is equally as quiet as a Corsair SF600 (I've owned both). The loudest component by far is the GPU air cooling fans when at full load, which won't really change from one form factor to another.

1. It's obvious that if I go with Velka 3, I'll have to sell my RX 5700 and get something smaller...

The problem with the Velka 3 or any similar sized case (K39, MetalFish S3 comes to mind) is that you're limited to 180mm length cards. The only cards that are remotely close to the 5700 / 5700 XT in performance is either the RTX 2060 Super, GTX 1080 or the RTX 2070. All of these cards are very hard to come across, and this was before the pandemic. They are likely discontinued or no longer produced. The only card I found new and in stock is an Asus RTX 2060 Phoenix Single Fan that is 174mm in length but it's quite a bit slower than the 5700.

 

[devolv]

Have you thought about the Lian Li TU150, I know it is 23 litres but you would get to keep the card and it has way better cooling for GPU as far as I am concerned

What about the CoolerMaster NR200 which is about the same price, has better cooling and fits some mATX boards depending on the application. OptimumTech recently reviewed this case and it was highly recommended at less than 20L.

 

[lowkey]

The NR200 was on sale for 70€ and now its not available.