Enclosure owning a SFF Ncase M1, I find it too big. A true miniITX, snug, sleek replacement?

[SpaceTofu]

Hi all,

it might sound silly, but coming back from some time away and admiring my SFF Ncase M1 (which I adore) I just realised how much empty space there is in it.
Considering that in the future I will need to relocate to a smaller desk, I think I can definitely say I am in the market for a new case: a stylish, true miniITX case!
I am aware how the M1 itself is marketed as a miniITX case, but I beg to differ: who needs three slots under the I/O panel? Some gamers maybe, surely I don't.

I am ideally looking for a case which is vertical rather than horizontal (a square box could also work) and as tiny as possible, granted that I can fit:
. a miniITX board (obviously)
. space for two HDDs (I have two 3.5" in a RAID1 because I am quite lazy and don't do external disk backups very often, but I am conscious that with the improving in price and performance of storage, I could get a nice 2.5" SSD RAID1 set to replace the two 3.5" HHDs)
. a case that comes without pre-installed PSU, as I have my own SFX PSU (and could think upgrading to a 160W picoPSU maybe?) so the less space in the case dedicated to the PSU, the better it is.
. I am using a Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B heatsink, so there must be clearance above the CPU; that should be about 7cm.
. needs to be stylish

To give you an idea of aesthetic, I find the DNK-H probably one of the nicest cases out here, truly very sleek and pleasing design.
I have looked at - amongst others - Loque Ghost S1, InWin, Fractal Core 500, but they are all quite bulky.

Is it asking too much, to find a case which snugly fits just the above mentioned components and just that? Probably.
If you can help, much appreciated.

 

[Instran0]

Hi all,

it might sound silly, but coming back from some time away and admiring my SFF Ncase M1 (which I adore) I just realised how much empty space there is in it.
Considering that in the future I will need to relocate to a smaller desk, I think I can definitely say I am in the market for a new case: a stylish, true miniITX case!
I am aware how the M1 itself is marketed as a miniITX case, but I beg to differ: who needs three slots under the I/O panel? Some gamers maybe, surely I don't.

I am ideally looking for a case which is vertical rather than horizontal (a square box could also work) and as tiny as possible, granted that I can fit:
. a miniITX board (obviously)
. space for two HDDs (I have two 3.5" in a RAID1 because I am quite lazy and don't do external disk backups very often, but I am conscious that with the improving in price and performance of storage, I could get a nice 2.5" SSD RAID1 set to replace the two 3.5" HHDs)
. a case that comes without pre-installed PSU, as I have my own SFX PSU (and could think upgrading to a 160W picoPSU maybe?) so the less space in the case dedicated to the PSU, the better it is.
. I am using a Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B heatsink, so there must be clearance above the CPU; that should be about 7cm.
. needs to be stylish

To give you an idea of aesthetic, I find the DNK-H probably one of the nicest cases out here, truly very sleek and pleasing design.
I have looked at - amongst others - Loque Ghost S1, InWin, Fractal Core 500, but they are all quite bulky.

Is it asking too much, to find a case which snugly fits just the above mentioned components and just that? Probably.
If you can help, much appreciated.

this case which is described here - https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...kless-1080ti-mini-case-breaking-record.10462/

 

[ignsvn]

Hi all,

it might sound silly, but coming back from some time away and admiring my SFF Ncase M1 (which I adore) I just realised how much empty space there is in it.
Considering that in the future I will need to relocate to a smaller desk, I think I can definitely say I am in the market for a new case: a stylish, true miniITX case!
I am aware how the M1 itself is marketed as a miniITX case, but I beg to differ: who needs three slots under the I/O panel? Some gamers maybe, surely I don't.

I am ideally looking for a case which is vertical rather than horizontal (a square box could also work) and as tiny as possible, granted that I can fit:
. a miniITX board (obviously)
. space for two HDDs (I have two 3.5" in a RAID1 because I am quite lazy and don't do external disk backups very often, but I am conscious that with the improving in price and performance of storage, I could get a nice 2.5" SSD RAID1 set to replace the two 3.5" HHDs)
. a case that comes without pre-installed PSU, as I have my own SFX PSU (and could think upgrading to a 160W picoPSU maybe?) so the less space in the case dedicated to the PSU, the better it is.
. I am using a Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B heatsink, so there must be clearance above the CPU; that should be about 7cm.
. needs to be stylish

To give you an idea of aesthetic, I find the DNK-H probably one of the nicest cases out here, truly very sleek and pleasing design.
I have looked at - amongst others - Loque Ghost S1, InWin, Fractal Core 500, but they are all quite bulky.

Is it asking too much, to find a case which snugly fits just the above mentioned components and just that? Probably.
If you can help, much appreciated.

Seems like you could use some MI-6. With a footprint of half A4 paper, it's a 6.7L case supporting SFX PSU, 2.x 2.5" drives, ITX mobo & GPU with 65mm max CPU cooler height. Build log example on my signature.

And yes some people put Schyte Big Shuriken there.

*Edit: pre-order for current batch is ongoing.

 

[SpaceTofu]

@ignsvn , very, very nice suggestion. If I have to be picky, I don't quite like the proportions of the MI-6, i.e. I find the case too high for the footprint it has. And the screws are way too visible (quite like the clip system on the Ncase). Very small problems, I know.

In the meantime, I stumbled in the OSMI. Shame it doesn't have any USB port in the front. I could pull a cable from the rear I/O port through the base and have front USB ports, far from neat though.
Or use the side USB port of my monitor; shame the screen is old and they are USB 2.0. Another reason to upgrade my monitor!

 

[Solo]

What core components are you using?

 

[EndEffeKt]

InWin Chopin?

 

[ignsvn]

@ignsvn , very, very nice suggestion. If I have to be picky, I don't quite like the proportions of the MI-6, i.e. I find the case too high for the footprint it has. And the screws are way too visible (quite like the clip system on the Ncase). Very small problems, I know.

In the meantime, I stumbled in the OSMI. Shame it doesn't have any USB port in the front. I could pull a cable from the rear I/O port through the base and have front USB ports, far from neat though.
Or use the side USB port of my monitor; shame the screen is old and they are USB 2.0. Another reason to upgrade my monitor!

MI-6's proportion is actually quite standard for a tower case, especially in such back-to-back layout. If you open it, there's almost no space wasted.

The screws are there, but since it's countersunk design, they are flush with the case.

If you prefer a different proportions in similar volume, I suggest to check another case here LZ7. However, the LZ7 has a different style & made of 3d printed plastic & acrylic. You may or may not like it.

Other than that.. Perhaps the usual retail cases like Silverstone SG13, SG05, or SG08.