Enclosure M.2 only mini-ITX cases?

[findgriffin]

Hi all,

So I haven't built a new PC in ~6 years, but I recently quit my job to work on my own startup. I'm thinking of upgrading from my ~2015 Macbook Pro to a desktop. My basic goal is to make the Rust compiler go faster.

Now that M.2 drives are a thing, and since I don't care about graphics performance *at all*, it seems like I should be able to build a *very* small mini-ITX system. But most of the mini-ITX cases still have lots of space for a big graphics card and/or lots of SATA drives.

The basic build I'm planning is:
1. One of the 65W Ryzen CPUs (probably 3300X or 3600)
2. Low profile cooler, like the Noctua NH-L9a
2. MSI B450I mini-ITX motherboard (or similar)
3. Two sticks of RAM (e.g. G.Skill Ripjaws V)
4. Crucial P2 512MB (or similar)
5. Some half-height, or smaller graphics card (tbd).

Does anybody have ideas for cases? I want something elegant, as my desk is in my living room. For instance, I just bought a Tewell speaker () for my desk, mainly because it fits the look of my living room. I'm considering doing some kind of custom job, because there don't seem to be great options out there.

The best things I've found so far are:
1. Fractal Design Node 202
2. HDPlex H1 or H3 (not sure if I want to go fanless, but they look nice!)
3. Motif Monument (https://yuelbeast.com/motif-monument, not sure if I want to go open-air, but it could be made to look very industrial)
3. Other cases from fullysilentpc.com


I have an old Cooler Master Elite lying around from a build I never completed in 2014 (so long ago!!) so if I can't find anything significantly smaller or better looking, I'll just use that.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Vlad502]

I want something elegant, as my desk is in my living room. For instance, I just bought a Tewell speaker for my desk, mainly because it fits the look of my living room. I'm considering doing some kind of custom job, because there don't seem to be great options out there.

With that retro look idk cases, but maybe Lazer3D cases with dual slot low profile are good alternative: HT5 and CG7 Cravo
Found also SKTC A02, but it`s only cheaper

 

[Sicaris]

The J-Hack pure may also fit the bill.

J-HACK Pure - J-HACK

Pure MK1 is officially discontinued. Please see Pure Mk2. Premium metal design, excellent ventilation, and wide compatibility with DC-DC units, the Pure is an exercise of function and simplicity. It is designed to occupy minimal space while offering excellent small form factor component...

j-hackcompany.com

 

[kyralfie]

If you don't really need a discrete graphics card then just wait a couple more weeks and buy AMD's Ryzen 4000 desktop APUs with a potent integrated one. Ryzen 3 4200g will have 4 coress & 8 threads, Ryzen 5 4400G - 6/12, Ryzen 7 4700G - 8/16. As for the case you can go even smaller and buy AsRock Deskmini Platform. It's not clear if their current A300-STX will support these new APUs, but their upcoming X300M-STX will. The included cooler will likely be sub par. I recommend Thermalright AXP-90.

 

[Jello]

If you don't really need a discrete graphics card then just wait a couple more weeks and buy AMD's Ryzen 4000 desktop APUs with a potent integrated one. Ryzen 3 4200g will have 4 coress & 8 threads, Ryzen 5 4400G - 6/12, Ryzen 7 4700G - 8/16. As for the case you can go even smaller and buy AsRock Deskmini Platform. It's not clear if their current A300-STX will support these new APUs, but their upcoming X300M-STX will. The included cooler will likely be sub par. I recommend Thermalright AXP-90.

If you don't plan on having a discrete graphics card at all, then do note you must go for an AMD -G model processor as mentioned by @kyralfie , as the others don't have integrated graphics. The strongest CPU you could get would be the 3400G, or the upcoming 4700G/4700G Pro, not sure which one will be stronger.

In terms of motherboard, you have two routes.
1. Go for the Mini STX platform. The current ASRock A300 gives you two M.2 slots, and the case included in the kit also has two spaces for 2.5" SSDs underneath the motherboard tray. Or you can get an aftermarket case like the Silverstone VT01 if you want it to decrease the volume is even further, down to o 1.53 litres. The kit does come with a power brick like a laptop.

2. Go for a mini ITX motherboard. While a bit larger than the Mini STX, there are more cases available, and this gives you the opportunity to use a PCIe SSD, or use an expansion card like the Asus Hyper, which gives you 4 more m.2 slots. If you choose to use a case that only has low profile expansion slots, I'm sure there is a similar card that could give you 2 more m.2 slots. There are motherboard options that already have 2 m.2 slots on the board, so you could potentially have up to 6 m.2 drives in a single build.