Advice Switching out Fractal Define S for a smaller case (hoping to make the cut to SFF)

[Surfie]

Hi All,

I've never gone SFF before. The smallest form factor that I have ever had is mid-tower. I'm now in a place where I want to move the Fractal Define S on to another (older) set of hardware, and in the process reduce the amount of desk space consumed by the PC I use daily.

Hardware to go in to the case:
CPU: Ryzen 5600X
GPU: Powercolour LiquidDevil 5700XT
Motherboard: ASRock B550M-ITX/ac
RAM: 32Gb
Storage: 3 SSD's, 1 NVME, 1 HDD
Power Supply: Super Flower 1000W (ATX size)
Cooling:
Radiator: Alphacool UT60 360mm Radiator
Reservoir: Singularity Computers 200mm
CPU Water Block: Phanteks Ryzen
Fans: 5x Corsair SP120

I'm unsure at this stage whether I will go a pre-designed case or if I will make my own, and am looking for feedback/opinions on which way I should go.

If I go the pre-manufactured route, the cases i'm looking at include:
SFF-Time N-ATX V2
DAN/LIAN LI A3 (not yet released, may never eventuate)
Jonsbo D31
ASUS AP201
Thermal Take G3
You'll notice most (if not all) take a 360 Radiator, this is because if I buy a case, I won't be able to afford to also buy one or more radiators.

The other option which I am considering is to take the innards of a cheap (and I mean cheap) mATX case (specifically Deepcool Matrexx 30 (https://www.pccasegear.com/products/47191/deepcool-matrexx-30-matx-tempered-glass-case ) and cut it into pieces, and use the relevant parts within the construction of a case of my own design. If I go this route, because of the cost of materials; there is a chance that I may be able to purchase smaller/more rads, which in turn results in more saved space.

What i'm looking for advice on;
1) Name of the project (i'm inclined towards Arctic themes, as my kids bought from their own money some "lego" penguins for fathers day and assembled them - so I'd like to incorporate that into the build).
2) Thoughts on which way you think would be best, or which you would prefer to see a log of.
3) If you think pre-designed is workable, but have a case i've not listed, please let me know!

Looking forward to your responses!

 

[Covuk]

With a full size ATX PSU your case choice is going to be limited anyway. A 240/280 rad isn't that expensive either.

 

[Surfie]

With a full size ATX PSU your case choice is going to be limited anyway.

For prebuilts, for sure, especially with a 360 radiator to boot. It's part of the reason I'm leaning towards making my own.

A 240/280 rad isn't that expensive either.

That is very situational, and relative. A person who lives paycheck to paycheck for instance would consider the $100+ delivery cost of a single 240 radiator to be expensive.

My own situation is one where I am very cashflow constrained right now, so I'm looking to keep costs as low as possible, while still trying to attain my desired outcome.

 

[Surfie]

While doing one of my semi-regular browses of my local PC supplier, I stumbled across this case: https://www.pccasegear.com/products/28381/thermaltake-core-v1-mini-itx-chassis-black
Ok, it's not <20L, but it is 21L and looks like it should be able to fit all my hardware except my radiator and (probably) reservoir. It is also exceptionally cheap in my local currency, meaning I might be able to squeeze it and 2x slim 240 radiators into my budget.... Any thoughts?

 

[Surfie]

While doing one of my semi-regular browses of my local PC supplier, I stumbled across this case: https://www.pccasegear.com/products/28381/thermaltake-core-v1-mini-itx-chassis-black
Ok, it's not <20L, but it is 21L and looks like it should be able to fit all my hardware except my radiator and (probably) reservoir. It is also exceptionally cheap in my local currency, meaning I might be able to squeeze it and 2x slim 240 radiators into my budget.... Any thoughts?

Nope. Disregard. Not enough room for a 240mm radiator due to the end tanks taking the radiator outside the inner chassis. There's only a couple of cm in it though.

 

[thelaughingman]

Radiator: Alphacool UT60 360mm Radiator

this radiator will be your biggest compatibility issue, unless you go Open case type, most SFF enclosures will not accommodate it.