So, the Anandtech article about Cooler Master's Storm Enforcer had a mention of the "Elite 360, an attractive $40 devil". Cooler Master's Elite 360 is an interesting cases that works for most users without huge single-board GPU needs.
The article did not mention that the Elite 360 has a kissing-cousion. This case has many names and front bezels. Athenatech A3712BB, A3708BS, NZXT Duet, APEVIA X-MASTER, CoolerMaster Elite 360 RC-360, etc.
If we keep calling the back of the case the place with the I/O sheild, then this case moves the power supply to the front. It now faces in from in front of the PCI-E slots. The power supply is pluged in from the front of the case, it is next to the dual 5.25 bays. The bezel hides the power supply back plate, and a 90 degree power supply extention cable that leads to the back side of the case. The power supply has separate air intake on top and output on the front (and/or bottom), so system heat does not cause the power supply fan to spin faster. The CPU area has two 80mm fans blowing out.
For large airflow, I turn off the two 80mm fans at the back (and remove). Add two low-speed and smooth-bearing 120mm fans at the ends of the case. This compact design does keep you from using the 120mm tower heatsinks for the CPU (92mm towers fit, like the Xigmatek Loki SD963).
If you look at the dimentions, this case is smaller then some of the popular SFF cases. The Lian Li PC-Q08 ITX shoebox is 21 L, the Micro-ATX NZXT Vulcan is 31 L, and both the Antec Three Hundred & Antec Sonata Proto are 44L. Note: The Three Hundred & Sonata Proto both have trouble with 11+ inch video cards.
The CM Elite 360 case & its clones are aprox. 23.5 L in volume.
(14.5 inches W x 18 inches D x 5.5 inches H = 1435.5 cu in = 23523 cc = 368mm W x 457mm D x 140mm H)
The Lian Li PC-A05N also has the power supply the front of the case. The Lian Li PC-A05N is much wider, and spins the mainboard so that the power supply is across from the CPU area. It can use graphics cards that extend up taller/wider then the 4 inches of the PCI slot's I/O shield. For this one advantage, a lot of volume must be carried.
The Lian Li PC-A05N is 39.3 L in volume. (381mm H x 490mm D x 210mm W)
Both of these SFF cases use full-size ATX boards with full-size power supplies. This means that a normal user can move from their 60+ L case to a 24 L case without being forced to discard other components like full-profile video cards.
Due to the poor efficiency of some SFF power supplies it is best that enthusiasts keep using their quality full-size supplies. This is better for both consumers and the environment, as it reduces the number of discarded power supplies while reducing computer power use.
These cases can can cool & power all video cards and dual-GPU setups, but both are limited by video card length. The many clones of the Eliete 360 work with cards up to 240 mm (9.5 inches) in length. The PC-A05N claims it works with 270 mm cards (10.6 inches, at a high cost in volume).
The article did not mention that the Elite 360 has a kissing-cousion. This case has many names and front bezels. Athenatech A3712BB, A3708BS, NZXT Duet, APEVIA X-MASTER, CoolerMaster Elite 360 RC-360, etc.
If we keep calling the back of the case the place with the I/O sheild, then this case moves the power supply to the front. It now faces in from in front of the PCI-E slots. The power supply is pluged in from the front of the case, it is next to the dual 5.25 bays. The bezel hides the power supply back plate, and a 90 degree power supply extention cable that leads to the back side of the case. The power supply has separate air intake on top and output on the front (and/or bottom), so system heat does not cause the power supply fan to spin faster. The CPU area has two 80mm fans blowing out.
For large airflow, I turn off the two 80mm fans at the back (and remove). Add two low-speed and smooth-bearing 120mm fans at the ends of the case. This compact design does keep you from using the 120mm tower heatsinks for the CPU (92mm towers fit, like the Xigmatek Loki SD963).
If you look at the dimentions, this case is smaller then some of the popular SFF cases. The Lian Li PC-Q08 ITX shoebox is 21 L, the Micro-ATX NZXT Vulcan is 31 L, and both the Antec Three Hundred & Antec Sonata Proto are 44L. Note: The Three Hundred & Sonata Proto both have trouble with 11+ inch video cards.
The CM Elite 360 case & its clones are aprox. 23.5 L in volume.
(14.5 inches W x 18 inches D x 5.5 inches H = 1435.5 cu in = 23523 cc = 368mm W x 457mm D x 140mm H)
The Lian Li PC-A05N also has the power supply the front of the case. The Lian Li PC-A05N is much wider, and spins the mainboard so that the power supply is across from the CPU area. It can use graphics cards that extend up taller/wider then the 4 inches of the PCI slot's I/O shield. For this one advantage, a lot of volume must be carried.
The Lian Li PC-A05N is 39.3 L in volume. (381mm H x 490mm D x 210mm W)
Both of these SFF cases use full-size ATX boards with full-size power supplies. This means that a normal user can move from their 60+ L case to a 24 L case without being forced to discard other components like full-profile video cards.
Due to the poor efficiency of some SFF power supplies it is best that enthusiasts keep using their quality full-size supplies. This is better for both consumers and the environment, as it reduces the number of discarded power supplies while reducing computer power use.
These cases can can cool & power all video cards and dual-GPU setups, but both are limited by video card length. The many clones of the Eliete 360 work with cards up to 240 mm (9.5 inches) in length. The PC-A05N claims it works with 270 mm cards (10.6 inches, at a high cost in volume).
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