Why dont they get ITX cases right?

Relentless81

Relentless81

Relentless81

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Joined
18 May 2010
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Hello,

I've been reading a lot about ITX cases recently, I want to downsize to ITX in my next build but it seems like every case I read about has at least one issue which stops it from being perfect, I know this is personal preference so its only based on what I think is perfect but here are some examples -

In Win A1 - I love it, looks so good takes large GPUs I really want one but its so expenive because it come with a 650W Bronze PSU and a wireless charger which I have no interest in. Where is the bare bones version!?

Cougar QBX - its so cheap its hard to believe but one colour option and no glass side panel

NZXT H1 - love the foot print, very expensive but with an AIO and decent PSU, colour choice is good but I dont want an AIO, I want Air!

I started writing this yesterday, come back to it now and it's early and can't remember the other examples but I'm sure you get the idea or have seen for yourself that the perfect ITX case doesn't exist, or does it?
 
100% agree. It just seems to me you have compromise with some aspect of a case even if you have no plans to overclock with mid/top components. Unfortunately cooling solutions haven't seen much innovation over the years and decent air coolers are huge. Its a shame you cant have a riser cable solution for the cpu lol.

The Louqe ghost s1 looked promising with its modular design but is too pricy and difficult to get. I myself will pick up the H1, an itx that can fit a 2080ti with that foot print and is the best I've seen yet.
 
I'd like an NZXT H1 style itx case that didn't cost £300! Other than that it looks perfect so hopefully some other manufacturers will start copying the new xbox's design!
 
silvagti said:
I'd like an NZXT H1 style itx case that didn't cost £300! Other than that it looks perfect so hopefully some other manufacturers will start copying the new xbox's design!
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But for the price you are getting a Case, PSU and AIO so pretty decent I think :)
 
Minibiker said:
But for the price you are getting a Case, PSU and AIO so pretty decent I think :)
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Agreed but I don't want an aio and would prefer the choice of PSU, case manufacturers are ramming things down our throats that a lot of people don't need or want.

If inwin released a bare bones A1 I would be all over it, you can fit a dark rock pro 4 in there!
 
Relentless81 said:
Agreed but I don't want an aio and would prefer the choice of PSU, case manufacturers are ramming things down our throats that a lot of people don't need or want.

If inwin released a bare bones A1 I would be all over it, you can fit a dark rock pro 4 in there!
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Good point... Its nice to have a chocce of your own components, the thought was there though from NZXT :p

The Inwin Case is stunning :)
 
I'm currently looking at cases and I'm in a similar boat.

H1 is nice, but I'd be dubious about that 140mm rad and a Ryzen 9 3900x (my H100i just about handles it).
Fractal Era looks good, wide compatibility, but thermals/ airflow sucks. The GPU has to fight to get air and the top rad/ fans won't be able to pull air up because the GPU is hogging everything.
Inwin A1 looks a bit trash for the money, only a 650w bronze PSU (which is near impossible to replace with another SFX unit) and (IMHO) that base makes the whole thing look cheap.
(I don't know what video I watched for the A1, but it said it was a bronze unit, but the site says 80+ Gold)

Raijintek Ophion EVO is VERY tempting, good price, TG side panels, wide compatibility, airflow doesn't suck, but the TG panels are raised slightly, increasing dust intake.


Maybe I've just been spoilt with the Corsair 250D.
 
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The fractal era is one of the biggest disappointments in an ITX case release, fractal usually get so much right my last 3 cases have been fractal cases but the era is pants

The define nano needs an update with tempered glass and PSU shroud, maybe mesh front and that would be perfect

I read the ophion Evo is a hot box, pretty sure Tech Jesus put it through its paces but might be wrong and it was another reviewer, I'll have another read into it as it's a nice looking case
 
The big manufacturers mostly seem reluctant to go all-in on small form factor parts. SFX PSUs, 2.5"/NVME drives, short(er) cooler clearance, etc. The H1 is the main exception here, but even then they've decided they need to bundle the PSU and cooler as presumably they think their customers are incapable of selecting the correct parts(?).

And with the small manufacturers/designers... availability, pricing, and general organisation/service seem problematic. The Ghost is a pain in the backside to buy in the UK because Loque keep partnering with European resellers who don't ship across the whole of Europe. Ncase come across like a disorganised mess considering they've been going for 7 years. Sliger cases are way overpriced considering they use acrylic for windows, etc.

I've been watching the Dancase C4 with interest for a while now though. Seems a really good balance between size and versatility. Dan is planning to use existing resellers from the A4, which means OCUK will hopefully be stocking it. So no messing around with importing. And A4 owners seem to have a lot of good things to say about the case. I could almost say I'm looking forward to its release ;)
 
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Relentless81 said:
I'll have a look at the c4, does it have a side window? I haven't looked into Dan cases before but what I've seen none have windows, might be wrong though
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c4-sfx_2500dujoa.png


It's in early development though. He's only just got the first prototype. It *should* be out sometime toward the end of the year.
 
Totally agree with the sentiments of the OP. Itx feels like a format that is full of promise of a small neat build, but when you really try and nail it down to something you really want ... the bits and parts just dont quite gel together well enough, leaving you with a build that inevitably includes a notable compromise.

I felt that AIO's often looked like they would need crammed in, fighting for air, and the same with GPU's. Similarly, the majority of air coolers are just too big/tall.

I think there needs to be a bit of a re-think on the whole cooling setup. I look at the new Mac Pro, and actually think the cooling solution within that is the type of way forward. ( the consistent front to back setup ) I.e. parts that you can combine to create a consistent flow direction of air for cooling ( air coolers or AIO radiators )

As for me, I've just been going through the whole ITX process for my son ... ended up with an Evolv Shift. Although on the larger ITX side, offered the best balance of air cooling, future expansion etc etc. Parts should be arriving the next few days hopefully.
 
Donnie Fisher said:
As for me, I've just been going through the whole ITX process for my son ... ended up with an Evolv Shift. Although on the larger ITX side, offered the best balance of air cooling, future expansion etc etc. Parts should be arriving the next few days hopefully.
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Let us know how you get on with it, I've been looking at the Shift Air but think its limited to 2 slot GPU
 
Will do. All the info and videos I've watched are showing 2 slot GPU's - length depending on radiator installation. I stuck with the glass sided shift as I think in the long run it will be more durable.

I dont need it to be an all out gaming machine at this time. It needs to:
a) do school work for the boy - which is vastly increased due to lockdown and schools off.
b) play minecraft !

He's getting my 2400G in it with the stock wraith stealth cooler initially. He wanted colour in it too, so a trio set of RGB fans will be installed. Hopefully enough air flow to keep the CPU in check. I've seen a number of builds based on non-AIO cooling, so hopefully will work out OK. Makes for a bit of wasted space in the case lower half, but long term, I can add a GPU, and storage etc etc.

The whole exercise though has raised exactly what the OP says. I've spent ages weighing up the cases, power supplies, motherboards etc etc ... all having their issues.

Even that C4 case shows up issues. The power cables aren't plugged in, so they will be pressed up against the glass. The exhausts of the GPU look like they will blast the glass and recycle back down into the intake again etc etc. Compromise. Imagine they changed GPU's to a linear cooler style ( if thats possible ) that way the air could flow in the same way as the cpu cooler.

Or even better, imagine there was a standard for pcie cards which were linear cooled with the assumption that air is supplied external to the card. Then cases and fans could be designed to provide that air in interesting ways. The fin stack and heatpipes could actually be bigger, filling the whole 2 slot space etc etc.

Any hows, I digress. I'll update with the build later down the line.
 
Relentless81 said:
The fractal era is one of the biggest disappointments in an ITX case release, fractal usually get so much right my last 3 cases have been fractal cases but the era is pants

The define nano needs an update with tempered glass and PSU shroud, maybe mesh front and that would be perfect

I read the ophion Evo is a hot box, pretty sure Tech Jesus put it through its paces but might be wrong and it was another reviewer, I'll have another read into it as it's a nice looking case
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I think he reviewed just the Ophion and not the ophion evo though
 
First time I saw the Era ITX I went from must have to wtf in 45 seconds. How could they provide a two PCIe slots in the base with no airflow? Even my old Fractal cases have a mesh filter for the PSU.

If they do a V2 raised up on feet, with a full length air intake/filter on the bottom, I'm in.
 
offitmassive said:
I think he reviewed just the Ophion and not the ophion evo though
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I'll check that thanks but can't see it bettering the lian li tu150

Problem with shoe box style though is the footprint is pretty much the same as a small ATX case so doesn't save any desk space

d_brennen said:
First time I saw the Era ITX I went from must have to wtf in 45 seconds. How could they provide a two PCIe slots in the base with no airflow? Even my old Fractal cases have a mesh filter for the PSU.

If they do a V2 raised up on feet, with a full length air intake/filter on the bottom, I'm in.
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I don't know how they managed to get this case so wrong fractal make awesome cases but this could have been much better
 
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