Read more.Every build should start with a good enclosure. Who do you turn to?
Read more.Every build should start with a good enclosure. Who do you turn to?
NZXT are generally alright!
Lately I've found Phanteks and Fractal Design pretty good, but thats because I've not tried anything else xD .
Fractal imo
Phanteks and some Corsair stuff mainly the air 540
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When it comes to the design of mini-ITX cases,HardOCP forums.
Edit!!
I suppose that might mean Lian Li who makes many of the cases designed on the HardOCP forums like the DAN Case A4-SFX.
More than happy with the quality and ease of build with Fractal design.
I've not tried all that many recently but I'm a fan of Fractal - both the quality of their cases and their support. IMO they make some great 'classy' cases without all of the RGB/garish stuff, and with obvious attention to the important details.
Just a comment on Lian Li - I have tried a couple of their cases and I'm not sure if it's only certain models but I wasn't a fan of the brushed aluminium finish - it's really quite susceptible to both fingerprints (which are also hard to remove) and scratches. I much prefer the powder coated steel cases - the extra mass seems to help with quietness too.
There is a distinct lack of innovation with current mainstream mini-ITX cases,and why a few enthusiasts on HardOCP forums can do a better job,especially with their ridiculous sizes and weight which make a mockery of the reasons for mini-ITX motherboards. It seems Lian-Li will quite happily take on smaller orders for people wanting to design their own cases. Also I dislike steel cases - they weigh too much for a SFF rig - aluminium cases weigh much less,and the only way steel cases can get close is using horrible stamped steel,and cheapo plastic which flexes and is terrible to work with.
Last edited by CAT-THE-FIFTH; 10-08-2018 at 05:35 PM.
The weight isn't really a concern for me but I guess it would be if it's a portable rig. I do agree over the size though, some mini ITX cases are ridiculously big, basically a full size ATX case with a few PCI slots missing!
I assume you can also get powder coated finish on aluminium? It's just so much more durable than colour anodising.
Apparently from looking a number of the projects and would prefer it myself over the matt finishes which look nice,but are really not that durable. One of the cases on smallformfactor.net by a Ukranian company seems to use a powder coated finish on their case.
The only thing is due to the small production volumes the cases from these small companies are not cheap,ie,around £150 to £250.
Edit!!
Hopefully I might be able to justify one of the cases!
The only case I've bought since they started to be made more stylish (ie not a bland beige box) is the Fractal Design R2 XL. Wouldn't buy Fractal again. Not saying that it's bad - it was the best out there for what I needed - but rather it doesn't do everything I want it to do. Or not well enough, anyway.
And that goes across the board for all manufacturers. Dust filters aren't as good as aftermarket ones, fan placement not ideal, redundant drive bays etc.. My next case, I'll build myself to my needs. And crown myself as maker of the best PC chassis. Chances are it'll be an utter abomination, but it will do what I need it to without compromise. Ish.
Anyone who uses plastic is bad, Lian Li all the way.
Err. Lian Li do use plastic. And it's often a superior material to use - there is no magic material which is suitable for every use.
Tired of hearing that statement when there are ton of different types of plastic, many more expensive to produce than metals, and depending on the use may be far more suitable. Probably the same sort of mindset that thinks almost 100% glass for a phone is ideal in every way...
Tesla...
No preference - generally the lowest cost commensurate with the facilities I need. My builds tend to be ITX - the last case was a Coolermaster Silverstone as it is free standing, the one before was a generic 4u rack mount. The one before that was a minibox M300.
Each one selected on the basis of cost and requirement (and no RGB).
Last edited by peterb; 10-08-2018 at 07:52 PM. Reason: Correct case mfr
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