Discussion SFF Matx case reviews

[Diamorif]

Wanted to gauge interest, but I've seen a bunch of questions on here and Reddit about viable SFF mATX cases under 15 liters. I've been on the hunt for one myself for quite some time and bought three relatively cheap (sub $100) and promising cases on Taobao, the CEMO L1, MILI M105 and the YTC M99 V4. I'm planning on doing builds in all three and seeing which I like best but was curious if the experience would be worthwhile to share with the forum. I wasn't able to find any decent reviews/build guides for any of them and figured that a thread with the user experience for each might be useful.

Really appreciate any thoughts/ input. Also happy to pound sand if not lol. Thanks in advance.

 

[Arboreal]

I for one would be interested to see how they work ouot.
I have been wanting to do a sub 20L mATX build for a while.
My DIY case mod has stalled , and the only thing that I have seen so far that might fit the bill is the Metalfish S5, as built by LTT.
I can't say that flex ATX PSUs particularly appeal, having had a noisy experience in a 5L ITX case last year.
My requirements would be more S5 like, as I'd definitely want to go with SFX power.

 

[Diamorif]

Fair enough. I'll be using a Geeekstore modular Enhance 7660B with a Noctua 40x20mm fan swap for the two that require a Flex ATX. Even the stock version of the 7660B runs pretty quietly, so shouldn't be an issue. I've got two other Flex Atx units (I think they're both Silverstone but not sure) in my HTPC and my office PC that required fan swaps. I'm going to also be testing the cases with some higher-end hardware (5800X and 6800XT reference for the MILI and YTC and a 2070 Super for the Cemo) to see how the cooling configs handle the heat. I'm somewhat more excited about the MILI for the same reason you said, it's about a liter smaller than the Cemo at 11.5L, has SFX support, 137mm cooler support with the possibility to do either a 92mm or 120mm AIO, and is damn cheap at $30 before shipping. The only hang-up there is the top and bottom case fans being limited to 92mm and it looks kinda cheap, but it is cheap so what can you do.

I already have the Cemo built and it's fine but the case design is just ok. I kinda wanted to stay below the 12.5L mark for my personal builds, but if you're fine with larger that, the ZZAW B3, C1 and C3 seem interesting as well at a higher quality than the S5.

 

[bholenath]

The Mechanic Master C26 seems like an amazing Matx case albeit its more than US$100 but under $130 depending on which agent and config.

 

[Gilles3000]

I for one would be interested to see how they work ouot.
I have been wanting to do a sub 20L mATX build for a while.
My DIY case mod has stalled , and the only thing that I have seen so far that might fit the bill is the Metalfish S5, as built by LTT.
I can't say that flex ATX PSUs particularly appeal, having had a noisy experience in a 5L ITX case last year.
My requirements would be more S5 like, as I'd definitely want to go with SFX power.

What about the Jonsbo V9?

17L, well build, good cooling, fits SFX(-L) and is quite cheap at €60, don't see it available at NA retailers quite yet, but shouldn't take long. Its available on aliexpress as well.

 

[Diamorif]

Sorry if it wasn't clear, I was asking if the cases already ordered would be of interest. I'd be happy to possibly start a thread with dedicated SFF sized mATX cases with other reviews, I think that would be a pretty cool resource to reference.

 

[Gilles3000]

Sorry if it wasn't clear, I was asking if the cases already ordered would be of interest. I'd be happy to possibly start a thread with dedicated SFF sized mATX cases with other reviews, I think that would be a pretty cool resource to reference.

My bad, didn't intend to derail the thread.

Tbh, they're all just really cheap bargain bin cases, if you just need something that fits your hardware they're a decent choice. But I'd avoid them if you even somewhat care about aesthetics and quality.

If I had to choose one, it'd be the Cemo L1, as that formfactor is somewhat interesting, but IMO, none of them are even worth their shipping cost.

 

[bholenath]

Sorry if it wasn't clear, I was asking if the cases already ordered would be of interest. I'd be happy to possibly start a thread with dedicated SFF sized mATX cases with other reviews, I think that would be a pretty cool resource to reference.

I'm definitely interested in a a review/build of MILI M105. Seems to be one the smallest Matx cases but I can't seem to find enough info on it. The only reason why I personally want to go Matx over ITX is because I would like to hook up a 10gbe network card without losing out on a M.2 slot.

TaoBao is blocked in my country so it's impossible to even get the specs of it since TOR/VPNs are pretty wonky for me when it comes to opening images from TaoBao

 

[Diamorif]

My bad, didn't intend to derail the thread.

Tbh, they're all just really cheap bargain bin cases, if you just need something that fits your hardware they're a decent choice. But I'd avoid them if you even somewhat care about aesthetics and quality.

If I had to choose one, it'd be the Cemo L1, as that formfactor is somewhat interesting, but IMO, none of them are even worth their shipping cost.

No problem, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being unclear. I'm still waiting on the other two to show up, but the L1 is kinda garbage. I've had YTC cases in the past and they are fine, most of the requests for mATX cases are for cheaper options that would augment the budget benefit of going mATX over ITX and having to resort to ITX components and the associated prices.

I'm looking to do a super small mATX machine for the intrigue of the expandability offered by the platform. Having bought a literal truckload of premium ITX cases (currently Skyreach 4, ZS A4S V3, J-Hack Pure X, and a Ncase M1 and formerly a Velka 3, Dan A4, and Salvo S402), the appeal of a sub $50 dollar case that can offer better performance on Ryzen with the 4 RAM slots and extra expansion slots is pretty cool. I'm also hoping to garner some more interest in them. Like the Mili is a full liter smaller than the M1 and with some better side panels and larger fan slots could make for a really impressive setup. I've found that most ITX cases above 10 liters are somewhat pointless/lack expandability options.

That's just my opinion, but I'd like to see some more premium options available.

 

[Diamorif]

I'm definitely interested in a a review/build of MILI M105. Seems to be one the smallest Matx cases but I can't seem to find enough info on it. The only reason why I personally want to go Matx over ITX is because I would like to hook up a 10gbe network card without losing out on a M.2 slot.

TaoBao is blocked in my country so it's impossible to even get the specs of it since TOR/VPNs are pretty wonky for me when it comes to opening images from TaoBao

The Mili should show up later this week. Once I finish out the build, I'll be sure to upload pictures and some info here.

 

[bholenath]

The Mili should show up later this week. Once I finish out the build, I'll be sure to upload pictures and some info here.

Eagerly waiting them. I agree with you on the pointlessness of ITX above 10L. For me the whole Idea and attraction of SFF is to have the least amount of empty space with reasonable enough cooling. Found it kinda pointless that the NR200 can't officially support Matx given it's huge size.

I'm absolutely in love with the Mechanic Master C26. But getting it here will cost a pretty penny. With something like the MILI I think I can take the risk and also try out if the system truly is portable or was having my system with me when I travel between homebase and forward base just a pipedream.

 

[Diamorif]

TaoBao is blocked in my country so it's impossible to even get the specs of it since TOR/VPNs are pretty wonky for me when it comes to opening images from TaoBao

https://caseend.com/case/mili-ms01/

specs are there, no good pics, unfortunately. I'm going to be going for the top and bottom 92mm fans and a 645lt doing its best u9s impression, a config that I've had a decent amount of success with in the past.