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Thread: Searching for very small (~5l) uATX case (no GPU)

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    Searching for very small (~5l) uATX case (no GPU)

    Hi all,

    I am new here, and I am looking for advice.

    I would like to build a system based on a Micro ATX motherboard (namely, Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H TH ), and not much else.
    If possible, I would like to use a passive, externel, power-brick - style CPU.
    I don't need any ODD.
    I don't want any video card. (The one in the CPU will be just fine for what I need.)
    I only need space for one 2.5" SSD.
    I would like to use some slim, low-profile cooling solution. (I am going to use a CPU with 45W TDP.)

    I am searching for a case that is as small as possible.

    Since the motherboard is 9.6" x 9.6", (245mm x 245mm)
    I am thinking of something of dimensions like 10" x 10" x 3" (254 x 254 x 72 mm) or so.
    ( ~ 5l of volume.)

    I tried to look, but I could not find any Micro ATX cases in that kind of form factor.
    There are some Mini ITX cases, but I want to use a Micro ATX motherboard.
    (As far as I can tell, nobody has released Mini ITX motherboards with Thunderbolt ports yet.)

    I considered Intel NUC and Shuttle's offering, but none of them offered 3-monitor support, which is required for me.
    (Hence the choice of motherboard.)

    Could you please help me find a suitable case?

    Thank you:

    Csillag

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    Re: Searching for very small (~5l) uATX case (no GPU)

    How about this? Not exactly cheap, although it does come with a fanless PSU. It doesn't have a 2.5" slot, but you can easily buy an adapter to put an SSD into the 3.5" slot.

    http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silve...nd-card-reader

    As for cooling, this has had good reviews, although again, it's not exactly cheap:

    http://www.scan.co.uk/products/noctu...m3plus-fm1-fm2

    Review for the case here:

    http://www.modthebox.com/review490_1.shtml
    Last edited by MrJim; 26-01-2013 at 03:03 PM.

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    Re: Searching for very small (~5l) uATX case (no GPU)

    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbobgod1969 View Post
    How about this? Not exactly cheap, although it does come with a fanless PSU. It doesn't have a 2.5" slot, but you can easily buy an adapter to put an SSD into the 3.5" slot.
    Thank you for the tip. I am aware of that SilverStone LC19 case, but it's still too large, there is a lot of wasted space inside.
    Here is how it looks with a uATX mobo installed:

    (...uhh..... I can't post a link, since I am now... anyway: cdn.avsforum.com/e/e9/e99c7bb4_vbattach181548.jpeg )

    There is a lot of empty space, and the PSU. (That's why it's 15.3" x 13.7", instead of 10" x 10" )

    Thank you for your answer anyway.
    I will keep looking...

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    Re: Searching for very small (~5l) uATX case (no GPU)

    Very little call for mATX with pico psu

    be careful with the Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H TH you need a very specific set of monitors to support 3 at once, 2x thunderbolt port montiors + 1x HDMI monitor I think, they are very sketchy about how to set up 3 monitors.

    A mini-mac with AMD graphics is probably your best bet
    From apple support
    Mac mini with AMD graphics can support an HDMI compatible device on its HDMI port when using two Thunderbolt displays.
    But again be careful double and triple check before buying

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    Re: Searching for very small (~5l) uATX case (no GPU)

    If you can find the Coolermaster Elite 100 then it should be perfect for you. It has a custom (similar to TFX I think) PSU and it's around 5.8L. The PSU fan is VERY loud though and annoying, which is mainly why I sold it as I wasn't prepared to open it up to swap the fan.

    I had one before and it cost me around £40 from scan but they don't seem to stock it anymore.

    For slim low profile cooling, something like the Gelid Slim Silence iPlus would probably work, but it wasn't the best cooler in terms of performance or noise. I've not tried anything else around 28mm though.

    I don't really know much about multi monitors so I can't help you there though.

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    Re: Searching for very small (~5l) uATX case (no GPU)

    Quote Originally Posted by Pob255 View Post
    Very little call for mATX with pico psu

    be careful with the Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H TH you need a very specific set of monitors to support 3 at once, 2x thunderbolt port montiors + 1x HDMI monitor I think, they are very sketchy about how to set up 3 monitors.
    What's tricky is how to set up a 4K display.
    What I plan to do is to simply use each thunderbolt port as a simple DisplayPort, and just connect DVI monitors via DisplayPort -> DVI converters. (I have active converters already.)
    But anyway, I will specifically check with Gigabyte support, before buying.

    A mini-mac with AMD graphics is probably your best bet
    From apple support
    Hmm, I have not considered that. Will check out.

    Thank you for the suggestion.

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