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ATX mini tower?

K

Kil4Thril

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Messages
2,974
What is the smallest full ATX case that you guys know about? I won't have time to mod this, just to stuff and go, so let's hear it.
 
Everyone seems to love the A05. But the thing is, Lian Li makes even smaller cases: the A06 is smaller in terms of volume (by quite a margin) and nicer IMHO but everybody seems to hate the 8mm fan at the back. The V600 and A59 are slightly smaller in volume and height. So there is plenty to chose from. Also the Antec NSK4480 (might not be on the same level in terms of quality but the question is the size) is also smaller volume-wise, even though it is quite a bit higher than the A05.

That said, there are quite a few A05 users on this website, but very few V600, A59, and even fewer A06. Go figure!

PS: First post! Yay!
 
I'm using an A05b. I came from a PC-65b. ;)

There's a huge A05b thread in case you have more questions.
 
The V600, A59, and A06 all have their own "quirks" that the A05 doesn't have... which is why most people still prefer the A05...

That and newegg sells it super-cheap w/ free shipping all the time... Not right now though... D=
 
My old Antec Super Lanboy is still one of the smallest yet most hassle-free cases I've seen... :p I think it's like an inch taller than the A05s but two inches less deep, heh, you can definitely fit more stuff into it though. The quality of small and mid-tower cases has declined over the last 2-3 years imo, 'specially if you want a light aluminum one, everyone seems to be going w/larger or more cramped designs.

Never understood the appeal of the A05 itself either... It's not that much smaller than something like a Lili PC-7 or PC-A09, yet considerably more cramped inside thanks to the unusual design. /shrug
 
Impulse said:
My old Antec Super Lanboy is still one of the smallest yet most hassle-free cases I've seen... :p I think it's like an inch taller than the A05s but two inches less deep, heh, you can definitely fit more stuff into it though. The quality of small and mid-tower cases has declined over the last 2-3 years imo, 'specially if you want a light aluminum one, everyone seems to be going w/larger or more cramped designs.

Never understood the appeal of the A05 itself either... It's not that much smaller than something like a Lili PC-7 or PC-A09, yet considerably more cramped inside thanks to the unusual design. /shrug
Click to expand...

Have you even worked on an A05b?

swc1.jpg


Literally... install the HDD's first, along with the PSU and DVD drive, drop in the motherboard, install your cards... plug-in cables... I've built atleast 5 A05's and it was the easiest case to work with... Antec 900 was a nightmare, Coolermaster 330 (built 2-3 of those)...
 
The fact that you managed to fit a WC setup into it doesn't make it any less cramped... And it doesn't change the number of available 5.25/3.5 bays on it either. Not that I think you need that many more if you're looking for a case of this size, but I like the fact that I can sit my main drive inside the Lanboy on a piece of foam and have it completely decoupled, no room to that in most cases w/fitted cages. :D
 
It's less cramped than my Antec900 was... And that had 9 5.25" bays / 6 3.5" (if you used their HDD cages, which sucked).

People remove the HDD cage if they only have 1 HDD and mount it in the floppy bay, drill 6 rivets to remove it...

Point is... he asked for the smallest ATX case, and... the A05 is exactly that...
 
I wasn't disputing that fact, just making a slightly off-topic comment on the A05 and other small mid-towers... My Super Lanboy's sled-based HDD cage is really nice imo, I really dislike the fixed cage system of cases like the 900. Like I said, I even have room to completely decouple a drive inside the cage of my Lanboy (not using the sled). It's got 1 more 5.25/3.5 external bay than the A05 too, shame they stopped making it...

Edit: My biggest pet peeve w/the A05 is the fact that it's only got 1 120mm fan doesn't it, and where it sits... If you use it as an intake, it leaves all exhaust to the PSU (which in turn runs hotter), if you use it as an exhaust you create negative air pressure and it probably helps suck dust in thru every nook and cranny. :eek:
 
Because the A05 is reverse airflow... air comes in the back, goes out the front...
 
Uh huh.

You seemed to be implying that the front fan being in front of the HDDs was a huge deal, but the airflow would cool the drives better if it were intake. It's still good though.
 
That is true, which is why I have both my fans intake, and my top 120mm fans exhaust through the radiator... :)

Cold air in through the front/back, exhaust out the top... HDD's run cooler atleast :)
 
Ah, nice, I always figured it only had one... The exhaust is more important than the intake as far as temps go though, imo, where exactly does it exhaust to? The space in between the bezel and the case frame itself? I don't think the temp of the drives is a big deal (unless you've got three in there jammed against each other).
 
I have three drives in the cage. The front fan exhausts out the sides of the front panel. It does better than you think, but you have to have another exhaust in the top rear corner. A blowhole or a slot cooler (exhauster). Or a video card that has an enclosure exhaust.
 
Is the bezel removable or is there any way to easily get at (or replace) that front fan btw?
 
Front panel pops right off, you do have to remove the PSU to get the fan out (as it slides out the bottom of the HDD cage)
 
Thanks for the info.

Edit: One other question, the audio ports, are they AC97 spec or Intel HD? I think the X-Fi will only work properly w/the latter, I imagine I can alter the pin-configuration but if I could avoid that...

I might get an A05 to monkey around with for my next build and keep it if I end up liking it (otherwise I can give it to whomever I'm donating/selling my current system). :D
 
It has both pre-wired, atleast that's how mine came.

I use AC-97 for my Razer card, but I have tested the HD-Audio plug and it worked too.
 
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