A little background will probably help people understand where I'm coming from with this. I'm looking to build a new system for typical everyday tasks and some scientific computation (mostly statistics). Modern processors are now fast enough that operations on even my largest datasets are completed in a few minutes. IGPs are also good enough that I have no need for a discrete GPU.
I've been using an Antec Sonata case since 2004. It's made sense back then, but today it's just a waste of space for my needs. With the release of Sandybridge and the plethora of itx and matx boards available, I decided it was time for me to switch to something smaller.
One requirement for me is that I have a well made and decent looking case.
I'm really surprised at the size of many "small form factor" cases. Take a look at what I made on Sized Up. The V354 is not that much smaller than the Sonata. The Q11 is smaller than the Sonata, but is hardly a small case. The TJ08E (not on that page) is smaller than the Sonata but not by much, and I think the benefits of using an ATX MB (in the Sonata) would far exceed the benefits of the small space savings from the TJ08E. The only case that is actually small is the SG05.
Why are these cases so big? Are there really so many people who need a ATX psu and long graphics card in these "SFF" systems? Are the only people who buy these cases gamers and graphics professionals? Considering how much power consumption has dropped in the last few years, do people really need to put 500W+ PSUs in these cases?
Are the managers at companies like Lian Li thinking "Average Joe's are going to just buy a built system from a major manufacturer. The people who buy these systems are hardcore computer people, so let's just make them big so they can fit all their stuff in there and overclock to 10Ghz!"
Can somebody explain to me why these cases are so big?
I've been using an Antec Sonata case since 2004. It's made sense back then, but today it's just a waste of space for my needs. With the release of Sandybridge and the plethora of itx and matx boards available, I decided it was time for me to switch to something smaller.
One requirement for me is that I have a well made and decent looking case.
I'm really surprised at the size of many "small form factor" cases. Take a look at what I made on Sized Up. The V354 is not that much smaller than the Sonata. The Q11 is smaller than the Sonata, but is hardly a small case. The TJ08E (not on that page) is smaller than the Sonata but not by much, and I think the benefits of using an ATX MB (in the Sonata) would far exceed the benefits of the small space savings from the TJ08E. The only case that is actually small is the SG05.
Why are these cases so big? Are there really so many people who need a ATX psu and long graphics card in these "SFF" systems? Are the only people who buy these cases gamers and graphics professionals? Considering how much power consumption has dropped in the last few years, do people really need to put 500W+ PSUs in these cases?
Are the managers at companies like Lian Li thinking "Average Joe's are going to just buy a built system from a major manufacturer. The people who buy these systems are hardcore computer people, so let's just make them big so they can fit all their stuff in there and overclock to 10Ghz!"
Can somebody explain to me why these cases are so big?