Need help deciding on an SFF case

C

CIB24

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 8, 2010
Messages
140
Hey all,

I have been browsing this forum for a while and have realized that this is one of the more knowledgeable forums on all things PC related. I also noticed that this particular Small Form Factor section is very developed in comparison to other places so I figure you guys will be able to help me decide which case is best suited for my needs.

Let me start by saying that I must have a small PC for portability as my job tends to move me around the world every half a year or so. I plan on building a powerful rig that can do everything from TV, movies, work, games, etc. in as small of a size as possible with as much room for upgradability in the future as possible. I plan on building an mATX AMD system consisting of either a 4 core 955/965 or a 6 core 1055T depending on the deals available in a few weeks. I would like to cool the CPU with either a Corsair H50, Coolit ECO, or Xigmatek HDT-S1283 (or similar). The video card will either be a 5850 or 5870 depending on the deals available and I would like this system to remain as quiet as possible so I plan on adding some Gentle Typhoon's if the stock fans are too loud for my taste.

I have narrowed my choices down to these five cases:

Cooler Master Elite 342
Pros: 1. Cheap price. 2. Nice depth. 3. Good weight. 4. Removable hard drive tray.​
Cons: 1. 90 mm rear and side fans 2. Must mod to make Corsair or Coolit fit. 3. Very thin metal.​

Cooler Master Elite 341
Pros: 1. 120 mm fans front, rear, side. 2. Very light weight 3. Cheap.​
Cons: 1. Very very thin metal. 2. Uglier than 342. 3. Less depth than 342.​

Lian Li PC-A03
Pros: 1. Aluminum finish and quality. 2. Good depth. 3. Very light. 4. Unique? (Upside down Mobo placement and LED fans)​
Cons: 1. Expensive. 2. Ugly grill up front. 3. Unique? (Same as the pro). 4. Requires modification for Corsair or Coolit.​

Silverstone TJ-08
Pros: 1. Good quality. 2. Relatively light. 3. 120 mm front and rear fans​
Cons: 1. Shorter Depth similar to 341. 2. Very Expensive. 3. Power Supply and Optical drive issues sometimes.​

Silverstone SG-03/04
Pros: 1. Sleeper style. 2. 120mm fans. 3. Smallest of the bunch.​
Cons: 1. Perhaps too small (only fit 5870 with slim fan). 2. Must use a Corsair or Coolit. 3. Potential temperature issues. 4. Scary expensive.​

As you can see all 5 cases have some very appealing positives and some not so appealing negatives. However, I believe that all of these cases have relatively good portability and pack a hell of a punch for their size. The Antec NSK3480 and Antec Mini P180 are out of the question as the NSK3480 cannot really fit a full size power supply and the mini P180 is way too large and heavy.

I will be back in the States in 2 weeks and plan on purchasing my components then but I'm really stumped at this decision as I seem to be changing my mind about all 5 cases regularly. I really like the appeal of the cost effective Cooler Masters but also am partial to the quality of the Lian Li and Silverstone cases as well. what would you guys go with based on what I've told you about my needs for a do-it-all micro PC?

Thanks guys.
 
Looks like the corsair H50 and 5870 are most important to you...I say go with the Cooler Master Elite 341

It is cheap and fits those components.
 
I just got a TJ08 with an CoolerMaster Hyper 212 plus for a customer.

Excellent case, nice looks. Too bad it's not all aluminum, otherwise pretty nice case,should be great with an H50. It is a bit expensive but it's worth imho, love the front panel.
 
Unless you have a water fetish, don't get the H50 or Coolit. They don't perform as well as Megahalems, Venomous X, Noctua D14. The only reason to get an H50 is if your case can't fit a 160mm tall tower heatsink. I don't know if the PC-A03 can actually fit tall heatsinks, so I'd recommend the SilverStone just to be safe.
 
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Well it's not that I have a water fetish but I was just thinking of the H50 and Coolit as good replacements for tall and humongous heatsinks since it cleans up the inside a bit and may help with the temps considering how little space there will be inside anyway. However, I have no problem running a normal air heatsink in there such as the Xigmatek or Hyper 212 Plus as long as I can replace the fans. All of the cases except for the SG03/04 should fit a 160mm heatsink as they all have widths greater than 180mm.

The Cooler Master 341 is tempting since it is basically the exact same case as the TJ08 minus some styling differences but I am still unsure about the thickness of the metal. Anyone have any experience with any of these cases aside from the TJ08?
 
CIB24 said:
Well it's not that I have a water fetish but I was just thinking of the H50 and Coolit as good replacements for tall and humongous heatsinks since it cleans up the inside a bit and may help with the temps considering how little space there will be inside anyway. However, I have no problem running a normal air heatsink in there such as the Xigmatek or Hyper 212 Plus as long as I can replace the fans. All of the cases except for the SG03/04 should fit a 160mm heatsink as they all have widths greater than 180mm.

The Cooler Master 341 is tempting since it is basically the exact same case as the TJ08 minus some styling differences but I am still unsure about the thickness of the metal. Anyone have any experience with any of these cases aside from the TJ08?
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coolermaster 341 is thin metal which i have one here for my roomate. it does fit a full tower heatsink just cant use the fan on the case door . even the lower case door fan will need to be smaller if useing a pro mega as i did . the hard drive mounting was a problem due to closeness of heatsink . its just not as quality as thier bigger cases.

Jen
 
some1x said:
Unless you have a water fetish, don't get the H50 or Coolit. They don't perform as well as Megahalems, Venomous X, Noctua D14. The only reason to get an H50 is if your case can't fit a 160mm tall tower heatsink. I don't know if the PC-A03 can actually fit tall heatsinks, so I'd recommend the SilverStone just to be safe.
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The Corsair H50 is a great product. Yes maybe $20 more expensive than an equivalent air cooler plus fans but out of the box it's very well balanced between noise and heat dissipation capacity.

It frees room on the case and helps with overall case temperature as well which is a concern even with big heatsinks. Should work really well on a TJ08 too.

A comprehensive review here
 
not on your list, but unless you really want the tower orientation the lian Li V351 sounds like it would fit the bill as well.
 
I think the new NZXT Vulcan has just called my number. It has all of the features I want and is similar in size to the Elite 342 without the handle. The only downside is that it is rather ugly. However, function matters more than looks to me so I think this is the one I will go with.
 
I looked at the Lian Li V352 and was really excited about it until I noticed you can't really fit a 5870 or 5970 in there without removing the intake fans. That would make the airflow even more dismal than it already is.
 
Let me throw out a thought here that hasn't been touched upon yet. You say you move around the world? Have you checked with the various airlines to see just how big of a pc case you can carry on? This could be a big deciding factor for you because you would most certainly not want to put it in the plane's belly with other luggage.
 
I've been to the Netherlands and Spain with my Micro Fly without issues. Da Box is the same size so it should also pass. I would not watercool if you plan on going on a plane with it. Commuter flights, you'll want to try and get the back seat so it's easier to place your rig under the seat because it will not fit in the overhead compartment.
 
I used the Silverstone TJ-08 about 2 builds ago. It fits the Corsair H50 on the front intake (after a pretty decent amount of dremeling) with enough room left for a 5850. I added some hard drive heatsinks though since there was no air movement around the hard drive bay.
 
Cooler Master Elite 342
Heh, wasn't aware of this case. Looks interesting for building a smaller file server. Never saw one in person.

Cooler Master Elite 341
This is my current favorite budget micro ATX gaming case due to the cost, great ventilation and ability to hold lots of enthusiast gear. I've purchased three of these. One is unused, second I just built up with a socket 1366 mATX board with an overclocked Core i7 920 and Cooler Master Hyper 212+. Another one (which I have since sold) was also an overclocked Core i7 920 with a Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX (with a bolt-thru kit). Here's pics of the one I no longer have:
100_1091.jpg

100_1088.jpg


Lian Li PC-A03
I believe this is discontinued. Never saw one in person but have examined pics online. If it were available and at a decent price, I would probably buy one.

Silverstone TJ-08
Very good sleek looks on an average chassis. Same chassis (except for fan grills) as the Athenatech A301 and Cooler Master Elite 340 (NOT the Elite 341 as everyone keeps saying). I've done a build in the TJ-08, and I've done several builds in the Athenatech version.

Silverstone SG-03/04
Really lightweight and small, but prepare to sacrifice flexibility. I was able to examine one in person at a LAN party.

I would go with the Cooler Master Elite 341. Yes, the metal is thin, but so are all the other steel cases including the Silverstone. You just have to keep everything bolted together and it will be fine. It is cheap and lightweight which helps when you're moving it around a lot. You probably DON'T want to use an expensive case because it will pick up scratches and dings. I would recommend using a bolted on air cooler and not liquid cooling.

Note that many of these cases (including the Elite 340/341 and Silverstone TJ-08) cannot handle really long power supplies. They aren't as bad as the Antec NSK3480 (which I also own) but you will be limited to around 6.5", while the NSK3480 is limited to around 5.5".
 
So it's down to a decision between the Cooler Master 341 and 342 since the Vulcan can't be found anywhere online yet. I'm really not fond of the side panel with two 120mm openings as it makes dust easier to enter, but I do really like the idea of a 120mm exhaust fan. I like the opposite about the 342 in that it has a cleaner side panel but only a 92mm exhaust fan.

I'm not too concerned with any cooling issues with the parts I recently purchased:

AMD X6 1055T
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Diamond 5850
Seasonic X650
etc.

Do you think the 341 is worth it over the 342 simply because it has a 120mm exhaust fan?
 
CIB24 said:
So it's down to a decision between the Cooler Master 341 and 342 since the Vulcan can't be found anywhere online yet. I'm really not fond of the side panel with two 120mm openings as it makes dust easier to enter, but I do really like the idea of a 120mm exhaust fan. I like the opposite about the 342 in that it has a cleaner side panel but only a 92mm exhaust fan.

I'm not too concerned with any cooling issues with the parts I recently purchased:

AMD X6 1055T
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Diamond 5850
Seasonic X650
etc.

Do you think the 341 is worth it over the 342 simply because it has a 120mm exhaust fan?
Click to expand...
I say go with the 342 then.
 
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