Enclosure Mini ITX case with USB-C?

[Goonie]

I'm in the process of building a Mini ITX gaming system and just discovered this forum.

Is anyone aware of a Mini ITX case with at least one front USB type C connector? My peripherals (mainly headset) are now USB-C; I'd rather not use an adapter.

Generally I'm surprised how huge Mini ITX cases have become. My current, ~6 years old gaming system is built around a SilverStone SG05 case, only 12 liters in size. Now, recent models including the upcoming SG14 case weigh in 20 liters and more. I hope this trend can be reversed.

 

[TeutonJon78]

As always, with "USB-C" are you talking about just having the connector, or having all the fancy things like 10 Gbps and power delivery and such? People often conflate the two.

Technically speaking, USB-C is just a connector and can be added to any USB protocol. Many phones have USB-C connectors but are still just USB 2.0 under the hood. Newer ones are starting to be USB 3.0/USB3.1G1.

Most motherboard only have support for USB 3.0/3.1G1 currently.

The Raijintek Ophion and Ophion Evo have a front USB-C connector, but they are going to be limited to USB3.0/3.1G1 specs/features because that is the internal connector for the motherboard.

https://www.raijintek.com/en/products_detail.php?ProductID=90
https://www.raijintek.com/en/products_detail.php?ProductID=89

 

[Goonie]

I deliberately didn't state the USB version because that is a property of the mainboard rather than the chassis. But either of USB 3, 3.1 or 3.2 is fine for me; even USB 2 works for most usecases (headset, gamepad). USB-C and its reversibilty is important to me, while USB-PD is not.

Thanks for pointing me to Raijintek, I wasn't aware of them. Unfortunately their two cases are also a bit on the fat side, with 16 and 19 liters. And they seem to require a PCI express riser card for the graphics card, which I'm skeptical of. I'd rather not introduce latency to my PCIe. But anyway good to see at least one company is embracing USB-C (and doing away with those archaic analog audio connectors).

 

[Goonie]

I just stumbled upon DAN A4-SFX for which they also have an USB-C option! Now that's something; I think I just decided on case.

 

[TeutonJon78]

Not sure where you're seeing the A4 using USB-C. The one from the SFFLabs store only has USB-A.

And just for reference, it uses a PCI riser card as well.

 

[Goonie]

See https://www.dan-cases.com/dana4_acce.html, scroll down to USB 3.1 Gen2 Kit. It says "Ports external USB 3.1 Typ-C". It's designed as an upgrade to all already released A4-SFX cases.

Thanks for the riser card hint. I will investigate.

 

[TeutonJon78]

See https://www.dan-cases.com/dana4_acce.html, scroll down to USB 3.1 Gen2 Kit. It says "Ports external USB 3.1 Typ-C". It's designed as an upgrade to all already released A4-SFX cases.

Thanks for the riser card hint. I will investigate.

Ah. Note that it's "in development". On the SFFLab page (the official place to buy the case in the US at least), they don't have it.

The Streacomm DA2 also has a front USB-C that I forgot about. It doesn't use a riser card. It's a traditional case like the M1. https://streacom.com/products/da2-chassis/

 

[Alexander]

Ah. Note that it's "in development". On the SFFLab page (the official place to buy the case in the US at least), they don't have it.

The Streacomm DA2 also has a front USB-C that I forgot about. It doesn't use a riser card. It's a traditional case like the M1. https://streacom.com/products/da2-chassis/

I came here to recommend the same case! From your previous comments, @Goonie, about the 16L and 19L capacities of the Raijintek cases being a bit on the fat side, the DA2 at 17.5L may also be a bit chunky. Definitely check it out though!

 

[rfarmer]

Check out the Salvo Studios S401, has 1 usb 3.0 and 1 usb-c.

 

[Goonie]

Thanks for all your suggestions! The S401 looks interesting too, particularly because it could sit on (or under) a HiFi component (AV Receiver) quite nicely.

Looks like the PCIe riser concept is the way to go. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I could not find reports of failure or performance degradation due to these cables.

 

[TeutonJon78]

Thanks for all your suggestions! The S401 looks interesting too, particularly because it could sit on (or under) a HiFi component (AV Receiver) quite nicely.

Looks like the PCIe riser concept is the way to go. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I could not find reports of failure or performance degradation due to these cables.

Most of the tests I've seen show a VERY VERY slight degradation in performance, for the high end risers, but like on the order of 99.7-99.8% efficiency. Essentially negligible.

https://videocardz.com/review/pci-express-riser-extender-test

 

[alexisbanas]

I'm in the process of building a Mini ITX gaming system and just discovered this forum.

Is anyone aware of a Mini ITX case with at least one front USB type C connector? My peripherals (mainly headset) are now USB-C; I'd rather not use an adapter.

Generally I'm surprised how huge Mini ITX cases have become. My current, ~6 years old gaming system is built around a SilverStone SG05 case, only 12 liters in size. Now, recent models including the upcoming SG14 case weigh in 20 liters and more. I hope this trend can be reversed.

Assume you have foind one, but Im looking at the Lian Li PC-Q39. http://www.lian-li.com/pc-q39/