SFF case recommendation

[Skittles McDuck]

I have a full tower computer with a mATX board in it and had the intention of moving the parts into a SFF case when I had the funds to purchase one.

My only problem is finding the one to handle my setup. I have used the Ultra Micro Fly case before and really liked it, but my current setup has 4 3.5" hdds in a raid 1+0 setup. The micro fly was only designed for 2 hdds. I would also like it to be able to handle a high end video card such as the Nvidia GX280 or equivilent ATI card.

Any recommendations? I cannot remember the name of the case, but I had found one that would handle these components, but it was ~250 usd. I am not above doing a little modding to make the case work.

 

[FLECOM]

the lianli A05b should work for you... i have 4 hd's in it and an 8800gtx... or the Coolermaster 340 elite i think should hold that vid card and 4hd's not 100% sure tho

 

[lowteckh]

The case you are referring to is the Qmicra; mine just arrived today and I'm ... not too impressed. Paint blemishes/overspray, not very pretty (subjective), rough edges, only 2/3 5.25" covers (come on, would it hurt to just include all 3? some of us don't use those bays/don't like them exposed).. and a few more that I'll leave out for now. Might not affect you, but for $275 incl shipping.. I mean, damn that's still $275. On the bright side, it is featherlight (does this translate to Hd vibration? dunno yet), can potentially handle 7 drives, looks roomy and easy to work with, and seems to be good with airflow. Haven't transferred my parts yet but will soon.

Other cases to consider: P180 Mini (but it's big, just a tad smaller than the regular P180), SG03?.
Pics for now.

 

[Skittles McDuck]

Yes that is the case I was referring to. I really like the looks of the case, but it didn't look good enough for 275. I was looking to spend up to 140 dollars or so.

Going off of FLECOM's recommendations I looked on the Lian website and checked out the Lian Li V-350 case. I liked what I saw and going by the thread on hardforum http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1208245 I am seriously leaning towards this one.

It appears to have support for 3 3.5 bays and I can convert one of the 5.25 bays into hard drive bays and still have room for a DVD burner.

Let me know how the Qmicra works out for you. I still think its an awsome looking case. If only it was 150 cheaper......

 

[lowteckh]

I can't see the V350 holding the longer cards and there are airflow problems with it - too much in nothing out. I jumped on the Qmicra only because it can hold a taller heatsink (still don't know if the S1283 will fit or not since the TRUE can't) and seemed easier to work with than the TT Lanbox Lite. I am a big fan of the Lanbox and don't think the looks of it can be beat but the user-unfriendliness (PITAAAAA to upgrade parts and whatnot. The whole "modular" concept is flawed) and numerous cuts I received made me gave up. Then again, one is $275, the other $65.

 

[yang88she]

I have a qmicra v2, and I have nothing but great things to say about it.

It is very easy to work w/ and it's possible to use a 1kw psu and 2 highend gpu's

but yea the price is pretty high, but imho...especially in this case, you get what you pay for.

 

[Skittles McDuck]

Sounds like I might have to get a Mini Tower case then like FLECOM suggested. I can't really justify spending 275 dollars when I can get a Mini Tower for well under $100. I really do like the looks of the cubes better than the towers, but I guess beggars can't be choosers.

 

[PurpleDiamond]

Have you considered this case?

It has room for 4 internal 3.5" devices, 2 5.25" devices and I think that it is deep enough to handle a long video card.

$150 @ the egg.

 

[Ang]

The coolermaster 340 can handle full video cards.. however.. that's at the cost of only having 2 3.5" devices. Quite unfortunate there wasn't an extension that you could removed to have more.

 

[Skittles McDuck]

@PurpleDiamond no I hadn't seen that case. It looks like it has the specs I am looking for; nice cooling, room for video card and 4 hdds. It does seem to have mixed reviews on newegg though.... Anyone have any first hand experience with it?

@ang I really need to the space for the 4 hard drives. I really really really don't want to break my raid. Just got everything the way I want it from my last format

 

[lowteckh]

There's a build log of the Rogue in work logs section. Fits even an ATX board, lil too big for an matx me thinks?

 

[AVT]

Based on the photo of the QmicraV2 next to the Lanbox, the case is just as huge, and a little too big to be considered SFF IMO.

 

[mrmylanman]

@PurpleDiamond no I hadn't seen that case. It looks like it has the specs I am looking for; nice cooling, room for video card and 4 hdds. It does seem to have mixed reviews on newegg though.... Anyone have any first hand experience with it?

@ang I really need to the space for the 4 hard drives. I really really really don't want to break my raid. Just got everything the way I want it from my last format

I wouldn't pay too much attention to reviews on Newegg. There are a lot of idiots on that site who don't know what they're talking about.

 

[mrmylanman]

Based on the photo of the QmicraV2 next to the Lanbox, the case is just as huge, and a little too big to be considered SFF IMO.

That's kind of what I was thinking... if I were to get a case that big, might as well just step up to ATX and have a lot more options as far as high end motherboards go.

 

[lowteckh]

High end mobos are also 2x or 3x more than matx mobos and a PITA to transport. Ever lug a CM Cosmos down 3 apartment floors, or just even an empty P182? There are always pros and cons, you just need to weigh them and see what best suits you.

 

[darkz179]

That's kind of what I was thinking... if I were to get a case that big, might as well just step up to ATX and have a lot more options as far as high end motherboards go.

i highly agree that sff pc's are starting to get very wide,and not looking very sff like. the point of having a sff pc is for portability, durability, and lanning of course not for holding 4 hard drives and such i consider anything bigger than a sugo sg03 not a sff pc.i mean the qmicra is just massive and defiantly doesn't look sturdy at all. I really like the shuttle pc's and the sg03 case, i personally own a vinster m@x because they are perfect for what i need it for. its very compact, extremely durable (can actually stand on it without it budging), and turns alot of heads at lan's.

 

[Freezebyte]

i highly agree that sff pc's are starting to get very wide,and not looking very sff like. the point of having a sff pc is for portability, durability, and lanning of course not for holding 4 hard drives and such i consider anything bigger than a sugo sg03 not a sff pc.i mean the qmicra is just massive and defiantly doesn't look sturdy at all. I really like the shuttle pc's and the sg03 case, i personally own a vinster m@x because they are perfect for what i need it for. its very compact, extremely durable (can actually stand on it without it budging), and turns alot of heads at lan's.

Depends on your needs and your wants. I like the fact that I can have a much smaller case yet use a nice beefy ATX PSU to power everything instead of having to pay proprietary prices like Shuttle.

Just got my SG01-F case from the egg, I love it! I can't wait to build it!! My days of huge ass towering towers is over.

 

[darkz179]

Depends on your needs and your wants. I like the fact that I can have a much smaller case yet use a nice beefy ATX PSU to power everything instead of having to pay proprietary prices like Shuttle.

1u server power supplies are the way to go. seasonic 80+ server power supplies. cleaner power with less ripple. Up to 520watts 48A over 3 12v+ rails plenty of power, the 520w is around $120 and the 400w is about $100 on newegg. not to much more expensive than a quality atx psu.

 

[Skittles McDuck]

i highly agree that sff pc's are starting to get very wide,and not looking very sff like. the point of having a sff pc is for portability, durability, and lanning of course not for holding 4 hard drives and such i consider anything bigger than a sugo sg03 not a sff pc.i mean the qmicra is just massive and defiantly doesn't look sturdy at all. I really like the shuttle pc's and the sg03 case, i personally own a vinster m@x because they are perfect for what i need it for. its very compact, extremely durable (can actually stand on it without it budging), and turns alot of heads at lan's.

In all honesty the case I buy is probably never going to leave my house. The current case I am using is a full tower and its a borrowed case because my midtower wouldn't hold the 8800 gts that I am currently using. I don't really need/want a mid tower case and have fallen in love with the SFF cases after I built a SFF with a Micro Fly case for a friend. That said I will settle on a case pretty soon. Still leaning towards a mini-tower versus the cube because of the hard drive factor.

 

[yang88she]

i highly agree that sff pc's are starting to get very wide,and not looking very sff like. the point of having a sff pc is for portability, durability, and lanning of course not for holding 4 hard drives and such i consider anything bigger than a sugo sg03 not a sff pc.i mean the qmicra is just massive and defiantly doesn't look sturdy at all. I really like the shuttle pc's and the sg03 case, i personally own a vinster m@x because they are perfect for what i need it for. its very compact, extremely durable (can actually stand on it without it budging), and turns alot of heads at lan's.

I can vouch and tell you that the qmicra is very sturdy...more so than I would have believed.

Yes @ first glance and while putting it together, I was very skeptical.

Yes it can get heavy, especially if you have a LOT in it (ie. see sig, and I used to have a 2nd X2 in it as well)...but if you are in decent shape, then i don't think it's really that hard to transport.

I do actually move it around quite often as I pretty much work and live @ 2 different residences, and the built in handles of the qmicra are excellent and makes it very easy to move.

Imho, the qmicra is great for those who want everything in a SFF ie. something compact, but can handle all the latest and greatest.

Yes I know this may sound like a commercial, but I am just completely satisfied w/ this case. I honestly have a harder time working on my brother's SLi rig w/ his Antec 900 case...that thing is incredibly heavy and a PITA to work w/.

 

[FLECOM]

well if you want to go ATX i can vouch for the lianli A05, i love this case, its about the size of a miniatx mini tower but a little deeper and will hold a regular ATX PSU and ATX mobo without a problem...

 

[lowteckh]

I can vouch and tell you that the qmicra is very sturdy...more so than I would have believed.

Yes @ first glance and while putting it together, I was very skeptical.

Yes it can get heavy, especially if you have a LOT in it (ie. see sig, and I used to have a 2nd X2 in it as well)...but if you are in decent shape, then i don't think it's really that hard to transport.

I do actually move it around quite often as I pretty much work and live @ 2 different residences, and the built in handles of the qmicra are excellent and makes it very easy to move.

Imho, the qmicra is great for those who want everything in a SFF ie. something compact, but can handle all the latest and greatest.

Yes I know this may sound like a commercial, but I am just completely satisfied w/ this case. I honestly have a harder time working on my brother's SLi rig w/ his Antec 900 case...that thing is incredibly heavy and a PITA to work w/.

My current experience gives me a different opinion. Regarding the structural integrity, well I think the case was meant for bending since that's the way you remove the top. Everything seems bendy until you screw it all together. I'm very skeptical if the top will live though all the flex as I open my cases a lot. It really does give me the chills every time I have to remove it.

Surprisingly even without rubber standoffs and whatnot, I haven't heard any hard drive vibrations (something very present in my CM Cosmos w/ anti-vibration!). Cable management is a bit non-existent (want a window in it), doesn't help that the front USB cable is waaay too short and the usb, led and switch cables stick out noticeably.

The handles are very convenient though, one of the 3 reasons I got it (lanbox needs to lifted from the bum). Had to tape my empty bay cover over because it only comes with 2 covers and I'm still searching for a stock looking card reader. Not sure if I want to bring up some of these issues with Dave, who has been helpful with my questions. I know the costs for an independent designer/seller is very high (vs mass produced boxes) but in all honesty (and I really want to like it), I am having too many regrets and complaints on a nearly $300 case to recommend it .

Add: This case is one of the only "SFF" case with good airflow (video card heat exhaust could be improved; as it is the PSU is mainly the video card exhaust as the rear 120mm is a bit too far away). You have a ton of more choices to heatsinks as opposed to low profile boxes; TRUE won't fit though, but the S1283 will!! That's one of the biggest draws of the Qmicra imo as being targetted to the higher end matx users who want ATX cooling options.

Pics of interior:

Look at that insanely short USB cable! Anyone know a replacement? I abhor untidiness.

Tape.. Seriously, why not 3 covers!?!?

 

[yang88she]

lmao w/ the tape...but yeah it does feel very very flimsy, but I've taken the top off countless times and it's back to it's original design.

Imho, we pay a premium for the R&D behind the qmicra 2, but again well worth it.

You don't want to add an optical lowteckh?

 

[lowteckh]

Only time I use my optical is when I'm reformatting or dealing with the fkin' Bootmgr error. Everything + games are stored in the drives. I might slap in a drive, doubt it though as I'm too cheap to spend $20 on a new one (current one is iffy) and adding another sata power cable (each cable only has 3 plugs) means more cable mess. Also wondering why not another vent 'hole' on the other side of the case where the video cards are. Blah, not that there's any other option out there (cept the ginormous nzxt rogue) for roomy and accommodating box style cases.

ps. you heard about the "v3"?

Qv2 will pretty stay the way it is and the next case will
for high performance mini-ITX stuff.

 

[yang88she]

Only time I use my optical is when I'm reformatting or dealing with the fkin' Bootmgr error. Everything + games are stored in the drives. I might slap in a drive, doubt it though as I'm too cheap to spend $20 on a new one (current one is iffy) and adding another sata power cable (each cable only has 3 plugs) means more cable mess. Also wondering why not another vent 'hole' on the other side of the case where the video cards are. Blah, not that there's any other option out there (cept the ginormous nzxt rogue) for roomy and accommodating box style cases.

ps. you heard about the "v3"?

ooo I didn't hear about that one and I agree, there should be some intake hole on the other side for the gpuz, I was thinking of adding 1 myself, but I may just watercool later on.

that heatsink is massive, let us know how the temps work out for you.

I'm really thinking about testing a zalman 9500 for front to back cooling, I know the 9700 will be way too big to have both 120mm fans on the radiator bracket

the x2 is just pushing too much heat into my Ultra 90 being mounted sideways