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jamesman32
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2009
- Messages
- 428
I've been building PCs in the ITX form factor ever since Zotac released the first Mini ITX motherboard with a full-length PCIe x16 slot on LGA 775 almost a decade ago. Around that time, Silverstone released the "SUGO" SG05 ITX shoe-box style case and introduced us to the SFX form factor PSU. I remember some of us going back and forth about whether or not the PSU was powerful enough to handle an AMD Radeon HD4870. It required some 4-pin MOLEX to 6-pin PCIe adapters and the front of the case needed to be cut open to fit the card in (a mod so popular that Silverstone added it to their own production cases), but it did work. Shortly thereafter the first AIO 120mm liquid cooling systems came out and we started slotting the front fan mounting holes to get enough clearance to get the radiators mounted inside the case. With a few hours of careful construction, an enthusiast could have a quad-core CPU, high-end dual-slot GPU, and internal water cooling all inside an 11-ish liter box. Exciting times, really.
Flash forward to today and ITX PCs are all but mainstream. Single GPU computers have the horsepower to run most games and applications, motherboards have expansive I/O negating the need for add-on cards, on-board audio solutions have built-in DACs that rival the sound cards we used to use, etc. etc. For many, there just isn't a need for more than one PCIe slot anymore. The ITX form factor can make sense for a lot of users, including enthusiasts.
Component manufacturers have really caught on to this trend of downsizing over the last few years. More ITX motherboards, SFX and SFX-L power supplies, 6.7" length "ITX" graphics cards, M.2 storage, low profile heatsinks, the list goes on. It has given case manufacturers, and even boutique case designers, a myriad of options for internal component layout.
Silverstone pioneered the classic "shoe-box" style ITX case with the SUGO lineup where the motherboard mounted horizontally and the power supply mounted parallel above it. The "Steam Box" console-style case has taken off as well, with companies like Fractal Design producing the popular Node 202, among others, where all components are laid out totally flat. Boutique designers have pushed the size envelopes with the help of PCIe riser cables, enabling them to mount the GPU underneath or behind the motherboard. And of course, we've also seen the traditional ATX tower configuration downsized to ITX by simply reducing the number of expansion slots from 7 to 2. The gold standard here is probably the Fractal Design Nano S.
Okay, so we've established that there are enough ITX-sized components available today to ensure that we can build or buy portable PCs without sacrificing practicality or usability. So what's the issue? Well, while ITX cases haven't changed form or function much in the last ~2-3 years (with the exception of some small-batch concepts), ATX cases have changed quite a bit, at least in terms of aesthetics. I'm calling this Problem 1 of 3.
I remember, again about a decade ago, when PC "modders" first began focusing on the aesthetics of their builds. They started spray painting the interior panels of their cases black, cutting out holes in the motherboard tray to route power cables behind them, adding individual colored sleeves to wires to make them stand out, removing 5.25" drive bays and using hole saws to add water cooling radiator support instead, and cutting big windows in side panels. Case manufacturers caught on quickly and started adding these features themselves (and inching up their prices, too). Remember when they first caught on to the benefits of mounting the power supply at the bottom of the case? That change seemed to happen across the market almost overnight.
Most recently we've seen these changes to the ATX case taken to aesthetic extremes. Automotive-grade high gloss paints, full-length PSU shrouds, grommets on every motherboard tray hole, pre-sleeved I/O wiring, edge-to-edge tempered glass side panels, zero 5.25" and 3.5" storage bays, 240mm and 360mm radiator support, and *sigh* RGB everything. It's great! The component layout and large window allow me to see all of my parts and the quality paint, hidden wires, and bright LEDs really make these computers look good. If you want to be able to look at your components in an ITX build, you need this ATX tower-style layout and window setup where the PSU isn't mounted over the motherboard and the GPU isn't hanging upside down, connected by a ribbon cable. This is Problem 2 of 3.
To my knowledge, there is only one tower-style ITX case that has all of these newer case features and the right layout, the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX. Great, problems 1 and 2 solved! It has the power supply shroud, cable management holes, ample space for water cooling, nice paint scheme, and some variants come with a tempered glass window (albeit at a steeper price). So what's the issue here? Well, at least in my opinion, it's too big. It uses some ITX components (really, just the motherboard) but has room for ATX-sized components elsewhere in the build. The case takes an ATX PSU, for example, and accepts full-length GPUs with room to spare. Isn't this kind of unnecessary if we have access to SFX PSUs and an array of ITX-sized GPUs to choose from? I can get a full power GTX 1080 that's barely longer than my motherboard, so why would I get a full-length card? I can buy a 600 watt SFX PSU that'll handle my entire build, so why would I use an ATX one? This case gives us the aesthetic we want, but doesn't take advantage of all of our smaller components. Herein lies Problem 3 of 3.
After a lot of Google searching, I thought I'd found the solution to all 3 problems, the Jonsbo U1 Plus. It has the tempered glass window, minimalist construction, and even (kind of) a PSU shroud. No unnecessary drive rack up front, just enough length for an ITX-sized GPU, and support for SFX PSUs. Great! I ordered one and waited weeks for it to get to the US from China earlier this year. Turns out it sucked. I totally overlooked one of the benefits of newer ATX cases - the usual support for 2x 120 or 140mm fans or radiators up front. This case had room for a single 80mm fan above the motherboard I/O and it was not cutting it. No real airflow or AIO cooler support. RIP.
So what now? Well, after writing a novel about what I'm really looking for, I'm relying on an MS paint sketch to illustrate it:
Let's take the Phanteks we mentioned earlier:
And then let's imagine it cut down to size with an ITX GPU and SFX PSU
What we get is a proportionally smaller tower style case that utilizes available ITX components without sacrificing some of the features we like from ATX cases. It could probably still even support a 240mm radiator up front, or overall length could decrease further if we used a 120mm radiator in the top or rear and only used 2x 120mm fans for case airflow in the front.
And now the question, does anyone know if a case like this actually exists? /end babbling
Flash forward to today and ITX PCs are all but mainstream. Single GPU computers have the horsepower to run most games and applications, motherboards have expansive I/O negating the need for add-on cards, on-board audio solutions have built-in DACs that rival the sound cards we used to use, etc. etc. For many, there just isn't a need for more than one PCIe slot anymore. The ITX form factor can make sense for a lot of users, including enthusiasts.
Component manufacturers have really caught on to this trend of downsizing over the last few years. More ITX motherboards, SFX and SFX-L power supplies, 6.7" length "ITX" graphics cards, M.2 storage, low profile heatsinks, the list goes on. It has given case manufacturers, and even boutique case designers, a myriad of options for internal component layout.
Silverstone pioneered the classic "shoe-box" style ITX case with the SUGO lineup where the motherboard mounted horizontally and the power supply mounted parallel above it. The "Steam Box" console-style case has taken off as well, with companies like Fractal Design producing the popular Node 202, among others, where all components are laid out totally flat. Boutique designers have pushed the size envelopes with the help of PCIe riser cables, enabling them to mount the GPU underneath or behind the motherboard. And of course, we've also seen the traditional ATX tower configuration downsized to ITX by simply reducing the number of expansion slots from 7 to 2. The gold standard here is probably the Fractal Design Nano S.
Okay, so we've established that there are enough ITX-sized components available today to ensure that we can build or buy portable PCs without sacrificing practicality or usability. So what's the issue? Well, while ITX cases haven't changed form or function much in the last ~2-3 years (with the exception of some small-batch concepts), ATX cases have changed quite a bit, at least in terms of aesthetics. I'm calling this Problem 1 of 3.
I remember, again about a decade ago, when PC "modders" first began focusing on the aesthetics of their builds. They started spray painting the interior panels of their cases black, cutting out holes in the motherboard tray to route power cables behind them, adding individual colored sleeves to wires to make them stand out, removing 5.25" drive bays and using hole saws to add water cooling radiator support instead, and cutting big windows in side panels. Case manufacturers caught on quickly and started adding these features themselves (and inching up their prices, too). Remember when they first caught on to the benefits of mounting the power supply at the bottom of the case? That change seemed to happen across the market almost overnight.
Most recently we've seen these changes to the ATX case taken to aesthetic extremes. Automotive-grade high gloss paints, full-length PSU shrouds, grommets on every motherboard tray hole, pre-sleeved I/O wiring, edge-to-edge tempered glass side panels, zero 5.25" and 3.5" storage bays, 240mm and 360mm radiator support, and *sigh* RGB everything. It's great! The component layout and large window allow me to see all of my parts and the quality paint, hidden wires, and bright LEDs really make these computers look good. If you want to be able to look at your components in an ITX build, you need this ATX tower-style layout and window setup where the PSU isn't mounted over the motherboard and the GPU isn't hanging upside down, connected by a ribbon cable. This is Problem 2 of 3.
To my knowledge, there is only one tower-style ITX case that has all of these newer case features and the right layout, the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX. Great, problems 1 and 2 solved! It has the power supply shroud, cable management holes, ample space for water cooling, nice paint scheme, and some variants come with a tempered glass window (albeit at a steeper price). So what's the issue here? Well, at least in my opinion, it's too big. It uses some ITX components (really, just the motherboard) but has room for ATX-sized components elsewhere in the build. The case takes an ATX PSU, for example, and accepts full-length GPUs with room to spare. Isn't this kind of unnecessary if we have access to SFX PSUs and an array of ITX-sized GPUs to choose from? I can get a full power GTX 1080 that's barely longer than my motherboard, so why would I get a full-length card? I can buy a 600 watt SFX PSU that'll handle my entire build, so why would I use an ATX one? This case gives us the aesthetic we want, but doesn't take advantage of all of our smaller components. Herein lies Problem 3 of 3.
After a lot of Google searching, I thought I'd found the solution to all 3 problems, the Jonsbo U1 Plus. It has the tempered glass window, minimalist construction, and even (kind of) a PSU shroud. No unnecessary drive rack up front, just enough length for an ITX-sized GPU, and support for SFX PSUs. Great! I ordered one and waited weeks for it to get to the US from China earlier this year. Turns out it sucked. I totally overlooked one of the benefits of newer ATX cases - the usual support for 2x 120 or 140mm fans or radiators up front. This case had room for a single 80mm fan above the motherboard I/O and it was not cutting it. No real airflow or AIO cooler support. RIP.
So what now? Well, after writing a novel about what I'm really looking for, I'm relying on an MS paint sketch to illustrate it:
Let's take the Phanteks we mentioned earlier:
And then let's imagine it cut down to size with an ITX GPU and SFX PSU
What we get is a proportionally smaller tower style case that utilizes available ITX components without sacrificing some of the features we like from ATX cases. It could probably still even support a 240mm radiator up front, or overall length could decrease further if we used a 120mm radiator in the top or rear and only used 2x 120mm fans for case airflow in the front.
And now the question, does anyone know if a case like this actually exists? /end babbling
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Would be in the tiny + window, but less performance category. Or get the A4-SFX windowed version next year. It's not tower style and would need regular cleaning, but a heck of a way to show off a GPU.