Smallest Mini-ITX case w/ USB 3.0, DVD, 2x SSD

[unseengundam101]

I have been on the hunt of finding the smallest mini-ITX case possible the fits my requirements:

USB 3.0 x2 Ports
Slim Dvd Slot x1
2.5" SSD/HHD Slot x2
Standard TFX PSU (or comes with Efficient, quiet, low heat 250w+ PSU)

Optional: Headphone + Mic jack

I don't need a graphics card/expansion card slot at all. An I prefer slim designs. I am hoping get something 3" x 8" x 8" in size but they seem to quite hard to find.

 

[JeffMD]

Just search new egg. The problem is there are a lot of designs, and a lot of them just suck. The EVGA Hadron Air Mini-ITX allows for a slim dvd and looks like a mini tower, but it also has issues. When I wanted to update my game rig I wanted to try and go the mini route but ended up going one step up with a really good and even cheaper micro atx case.

 

[aigomorla]

do you absolutely need 2 x 2.5 HDD slots?

shuttle has a itx solution with board which fits everything but 2 x 2.5 HDD slots.
And for the optical drive, your best off going USB2.0 optical.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=shuttle_barebones-_-1E8-001H-00003-_-Product

 

[unseengundam101]

do you absolutely need 2 x 2.5 HDD slots?

shuttle has a itx solution with board which fits everything but 2 x 2.5 HDD slots.
And for the optical drive, your best off going USB2.0 optical.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=shuttle_barebones-_-1E8-001H-00003-_-Product

Barebone are good suggestion to look at. Thanks

 

[unseengundam101]

Just search new egg. The problem is there are a lot of designs, and a lot of them just suck. The EVGA Hadron Air Mini-ITX allows for a slim dvd and looks like a mini tower, but it also has issues. When I wanted to update my game rig I wanted to try and go the mini route but ended up going one step up with a really good and even cheaper micro atx case.

I have to say I am having a similar issue and starting to think how much I can cram in there. In fact, I was looking around to see if there any water cooling solutions for a small Mini-ITX build.

 

[aigomorla]

I was looking around to see if there any water cooling solutions for a small Mini-ITX build.

not worth it imo...

most AIO's will require u to get a better fan for peak performance... also, most mini itx builds which arent centered around a dedicated gpu, do not put out that much heat because ur looking for low power setups.

 

[VirtualLarry]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121114

 

[unseengundam101]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121114

Hey, this is almost perfect! I found another HEC similar to this.

The only drawback is that they use USB 2.0 front ports only. Wonder if I can mod it to USB 3.0?

Thanks for posting info about this great little case

 

[VirtualLarry]

Hey, this is almost perfect! I found another HEC similar to this.

The only drawback is that they use USB 2.0 front ports only. Wonder if I can mod it to USB 3.0?

Thanks for posting info about this great little case

You're welcome. I built a PC for a relative in the ITX200A variant of this case (no longer available on Newegg). Same internal chassis, just a slightly different faceplate.

IIRC, this case includes the special breakout cable that you need for the mini/micro-SATA connector on laptop DVD drives, that connects to a separate normal SATA and power cable.

Those cables are normally $5-10 by themselves, so consider that factored into the price of the case.

Edit: Oh, for a motherboard, I used a Biostar 1037U mini-ITX all-in-one mobo. I don't know if this HEC case has the clearance for a normal Intel boxed CPU cooler or not, I didn't check.